Ottawa Students Want Permanent U-Pass

Ottawa U-Pass

Ottawa’s university students are hoping their bus passes don’t go up in price.

Student representatives from the University of Ottawa and Carleton University are seeking a budget recommendation from the City of Ottawa’s Transit Commission to continue the popular U-Pass program, and keep prices at $145 per semester.

“Students are asking City Council to make a commitment to students and the environment and make the U-Pass program a permanent one,” said Sarah Jayne King, Vice-President Finance at the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO).

“The continuation of the U-Pass program will provide the City with sustainable, predictable, and increasing annual income.”

The pilot project has distributed more than 50,000 passes to full-time students at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University, which has bolstered ridership to both campuses. The student representatives will make their case for a long-term U-Pass program before Ottawa’s Transit Commission.

At Carleton University alone, it has caused a 12% drop in student car use, taking 7000 cars off the road everyday, and boasts a 98% usage rate amongst full-time students; a 20% ridership increase from the previous year.