Manchester students beat the train strikes by offering their own lift-sharing service this Christmas

Students are sharing their journeys home in Manchester Students’ Group (MSG), dubbed ‘the largest uni community in the UK’ with over 70,800 Facebook members.
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University students in Manchester are offering lifts across the country to help people get home for Christmas during train strikes.

Drivers are posting their routes home on Facebook, advertising the number of seats available and potential drop-off points on the way. The action follows a week of rail strikes which commenced on 13 December, and will result in reduced services over the Christmas period - with the next wave beginning at 6pm on Christmas Eve.

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Students are sharing their journeys home in Manchester Students’ Group (MSG), dubbed ‘the largest uni community in the UK’ with over 70,800 Facebook members.

James Wilson, a 24-year-old student at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), is amongst those who offered a lift within the group. “I’m a studying social worker, so it’s kind of my ethos to help everyone whenever I can,” James explains. “A simple gesture of offering a lift may change someone’s Christmas time. I take being able to drive everywhere for granted, and I know the trains are really expensive!”

After posting his journey on MSG, James has been able to offer someone a lift to Oxford, which is en route to his final destination of Christchurch.

He says: “In this case, I’ve managed to offer a lift to someone who has a dog and doesn’t drive. They couldn’t take their dog on the train or coach so I’ve been able to get them both home.”

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Like James, 22-year-old Micah Sami has shared her journey on MSG, and is excited at the prospect of sharing ‘good conversations and good music’ on her journey down to London in the days prior to Christmas. Micah, a former social anthropology student at the University of Manchester, highlights increasing costs as a motivation for offering a seat in her car.

“The main thing was just being able to split the cost with people,” she explains, “It actually makes it cheaper for all of us in the end. The drive will obviously be a bit longer, but I think it’ll be a nice experience.”

Like James, Micah is also eager to help those affected by the train strikes. She says, “If you don’t drive, then you’re literally stuck [in Manchester] - so why not help out where I can?”

Student Micah Sami Student Micah Sami
Student Micah Sami

Similarly, Amelia Jancyk, a 19-year-old criminology student at MMU, hopes to support those who will be impacted by strike action.

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For Amelia, the decision to offer space in her car was an easy one. She says: “I shared my journey just so everyone can get home in time for Christmas!”

Rail workers are next due to walk out at 6pm on Christmas Eve til 6am on Tuesday December 27 - with more dates already planned in the new year. Transport for Greater Manchester (TFGM) suggests there will be ‘significant impact’ for travellers on non-strike days too, and recommends passengers ‘consider alternative modes of transport’.