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A hike in U-Pass price raises questions about student transit

(Macleans) If you were near Carleton University in Ottawa on Tuesday, you might've come across the walking dead. The bizarre protests--students dressed as zombies--weren't a spin on the "Occupy" movement, but an uprising against the announcement of a 17 per cent price increase on the U-Pass (Universal Bus Pass) for 2012. The bus pass, supplied to students at Carleton and University of Ottawa, came to $145 per semester last year, but the increase for next year would bring it up to $180 -- an unpleasant surprise for struggling students. The option to opt-out is one thing that people attending universities in Ottawa want.

1.

A campaign to get the wheels turning

U-Pass Ottawa
The students initiated the campaign for the Ottawa U-Pass. The local members of The Canadian Federation of Students called on members of the council in Ottawa to vote in favour of the U-Pass in Jan. 2010. The council agreed to the terms and rewarded schools with the U-Pass the following September. In its first stage, the pass was included in school tuition at the cost of $145 per semester, given to all full-time students at U of Ottawa and Carleton University.

2.

A run-down on the rules and info for U-Pass

U-Pass 2010-2011 brochure
For students who have been offered universal bus passes with their tuition for years already, this might be old news, but the U-Pass aims to make life a lot easier for students in Ottawa. Having this one card eliminates all the worries of having enough change, living ticket to ticket, or staying up-to-date with monthly passes. The student union administered the pass for the first time last year with the help of Carleton University Students' Association (CUSA) and is accepted by any bus transit between Sept. 1 and April 30. The brochure answers any questions a student might have, and includes a number to call for any further inquiries.

3.

U-Pass prices increase 17 per cent in just one year

CUSA Online
Local transit is taking a very different path for Ottawa citizens. In the past year, 46 bus routes were either combined or cut altogether, which affected the service of many students. The OC Transpo (Ottawa transit) is recommending an increase of $70 on the U-Pass for next year, which would bring the annual cost for students to a whopping $430 just to get your hands on a bus pass. For many students, that's close to the cost of an entire university course. CUSA Online is pushing students to contact their student unions and sign the petition at the CUSA office. CUSA Online also lists more ways of getting involved on the site. 

4.

While Ottawa increases costs, other provinces are hanging on

B.C. Government
Transit isn't all bad for university students in Canada; British Columbia shows Ottawa how it's done. With roughly 130,000 students attending 10 post-secondary institutions in Metro Vancouver, students are given discounts allowing them to save between $50 and $120 a month on fares. B.C. will invest $28 million through April 2013 to support the U-Pass and the new movement for better transit. Quotes from B.C.'s Transportation Minister and many more can be found in the article. 

5.

How does our province compare?

Halifax.ca
Any questions regarding the U-Pass for students in Halifax are answered on this page. Comparing, for example, Dalhousie's U-Pass price ($69 per semester) to Carleton's ($180 now) is shocking. The price of a U-Pass is something some students might take for granted. Despite Halifax being a smaller city with less population and shorter routes, the enormous gap in price between the two provinces is well worth questioning for the sake of Ottawa students. The goals of the U-Pass, as stated by the Halifax site, are as follows: to save money, to be convenient, to reduce worries for car owners, and to be good to the environment. For Ottawa students, going bankrupt seems to be an invisible factor on that list.  

(Photo: Dylan Passmore)