Wheels on the bus go round and round... to Aldi

For many a hungry student, finding a way to the grocery shop each week can be a daunting task.

‘Should I beg a lift from my housemate?’

‘Should I splash some cash on a taxi there and back?’

‘Maybe I could just lift some pasta from my mom at the weekend.’

Now an ingenious solution from discount retailer Aldi has simplified the process — a free shuttle bus.

The German retail giant said it will have the service up and running from all third-level campuses by the end of the year — ferrying students directly to their stores and back again.

The idea first took hold in Sligo, when students’ union representatives from Institute of Technology Sligo asked Aldi about a free ride for students.

“I first decided to approach Aldi to run with the service in September after the idea was floated by our welfare officer,” said Stephen Doak, president of the students’ union.

“Seeing the incredible potential of the project, Aldi quickly took over running the service with the students’ union handling promotion. We knew the interest was there in other colleges as a number of students’ unions contacted us about setting up a similar service.”

Such was the success in Sligo, with numbers growing from 60 to 160 students each week, Aldi decided to roll out the initiative across the country.

The service is already up and running in the University of Limerick, UCD, DCU, and Trinity College Dublin already, and will be in more third-level institutions in the coming weeks.

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