TransLink, the University of B.C. and the UBC student society
(AMS) have reached a tentative agreement on a transit pass
that would cost students $20 a month compared to the current
monthly pass charge of $63.
The new transit pass, known as U-Pass, will be submitted
for approval to UBC students in a referendum scheduled for
February 10-14. The $20 pass would entitle UBC students to
unlimited access to TransLink’s bus, SkyTrain, and Seabus
services and to discounts on the West Coast Express. Students
would also have continued access to alternative-transportation
UBC Trek Programs (www.trek.ubc.ca).
If approved in the referendum, the U-Pass will be implemented
this fall at a guaranteed price of $20 per month. Any increase
after the two-year agreement expires would have to be voted
on via another student referendum.
Tara Learn, AMS Vice-President External, said that after
years of negotiations the three parties had finally been able
to reach an agreement. “We’re really excited that after
all this time we are able to present the U-Pass plan to students,”
Learn said. She added that the student society’s main objective
in the referendum will be to present the details of the plan
to the students so that they can make an informed choice about
whether to support it.
The plan would be mandatory for all UBC students, with a
few exceptions (e.g. students studying outside the Lower Mainland).
In addition to offering the reduced fare, TransLink has agreed
to increase service on UBC routes and also to introduce an
all-night “Owl” service on Friday and Saturday nights
between the Downtown and UBC.
The UBC contribution to the plan includes a $3 subsidy for
the new pass: TransLink will actually receive $23 per month
per student, $20 from each student and $3 from the University.
UBC students in campus housing will receive an additional
$5 subsidy from the University and thus will pay only $15
a month.
Gord Lovegrove, UBC Director of Transportation, says the
University is committed to encouraging students to take public
transit in accordance with the Official Community Plan approved
by the GVRD. "If the U-Pass program encourages students
to leave their cars at home, and all our studies indicate
that it will, there will be tremendous positive benefits:
lower emissions means cleaner air, fewer cars on the road
means reduced traffic accidents and delays; and, a cheaper
bus pass means students saving on average $25 to $50 per month."
The Alma Mater Society is the official representative
of over 39,000 students at the University of British Columbia.
Its mission is: ‘To improve the quality of the educational,
social, and personal lives of the students of UBC.’
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