The ‘Extend Our #Unizone To Hastings’ campaign is pretty self-explanatory from its title, however if you are unaware of what a ‘Unizone’ is and why it needs extended then please read on; this article aims to pinpoint the reasoning of why all University of Brighton students, staff and friends of… need to be behind this campaign.

The Unizone is a train ticket, offered by Southern Rail, that students, with a valid NUS Extra card, can purchase weekly/monthly/quarterly and allows for unlimited travel in either the ‘Worthing Zones’ of ‘Brighton Zones’ which makes for an incredible saving on transport costs. However students commuting from campus to campus are spending more and more money on travel every year. It is fantastic that we are able to cater for our students living around the Worthing area, and last year the Students’ Union successfully campaigned and the Unizone was extended as far as our Eastbourne campus. However, to truly accommodate for all University of Brighton students, the Unizone needs to be extended to Hastings.

Having reached over 250 signatures in 24 hours it is clear that the ‘Extend Our #Unizone To Hastings’ campaign is a must for this year. With the comments on the petition ranging from current students who are having financial struggle with the expenses of traveling to and from the Hastings campus, as well as previous students concern and an incredible amount of support shown from the member of Students’ Union and University Staff.

The Hastings campus itself is home to over 800 students that live and study in Hastings; but they are not the only students using the train line. Students living in Hastings are commuting to other University of Brighton campuses, and likewise students living in Brighton and Eastbourne and all that is in between, are dealing with the strain of non-student priced rail tickets. This petition aims to truly evoke how important it is to have the Unizone extended to Hastings, I urge for your support, please sign the petition and forward it to those who will also support it.

The Petition – https://www.change.org/p/southern-rail-extend-the-unizone-to-hastings