Students protest over lack of buses

PADANG, West Sumatra: Hundreds of state Andalas University here protested on Wednesday the local government's failure to provide them with enough public buses.

A student leader, Zeno, said the scarcity of transportation vehicles from downtown to the campus in the outskirts has caused them to come late for classes and return home late everyday.

The campus is located 17 kilometers from downtown. There are only 45 buses serving 14,000 students and university staff.

The students also protested the bus fare hike from Rp 300 to Rp 500 and bus crew behavior for what they called sexual harassment of female students.

Academic activities came to a halt during the day because the students blocked access roads to the campus, preventing their lecturers from entering the compound. The rally also forced Director General Sofyan Sudrajat to take an alternative way out of the campus after speaking at a seminar. (28)