THE UNIVERSITY OF BUEA FACILITATES CAMPUS MOVEMENT

There is something new on the campus of the University of Buea.   A newly-instituted bus service went into effect today, transporting people to and from the campus as well as within it.

Transportation is done in smart-looking minibuses labelled “Campus Shuttle”.  The young and dynamic people who are part of it accost pedestrians entering the campus at First Gate and assure them that the bus will transport them “to any part of the campus” for only fifty francs. Taxis charge a hundred francs, yet they stop at Second Gate and passengers have to continue on foot.

The amazed passengers are then handed leaflets which describe the service and its buses as “clean, convenient, timely, cheap, reliable and daily”.

The buses which are run by Campus Shuttle Services  have adopted a number of convenient stops on-campus among which are First Gate, Central Administration, Car Park Library, U-Block, Classroom Block, Restau, and Campus B.   They promise more. Those drop-off points also serve as pick up points.  So, at no extra cost, the students and lecturers can now be dropped at   and picked up from right at distant on-campus classrooms sites such as Restau, Classroom Block, the Faculty of Education Building and U-Block, to name those.   

People entering or leaving the campus can also be picked up and dropped off-campus with precise points being listed as Check Point, NFC Bank, Paramount Hotel, Malingo Junction, St. Theresa  School and Eta Palace Hotel. Again the providers promise more.

Today I happened to be the right man in the right place because I branched into the university entrance just when one of the buses was loading. I hitched a ride and must confess I enjoyed it. At the end I found that there was a bonus for me. It was the fact that since I was going to Central Administration, the bus actually drove into the yard and stopped right at the stairs leading to the administrative block. A taxi could not have done that because they are not allowed to enter the yard to drop passengers.

I see the institution of the shuttle service as a move intended to cushion the adverse effect of banning taxis from entering the campus beyond Second Gate. That was a move taken by the administration as a measure of security. From that point of view, the new service is a welcome move.