Status of OneCard Bus Pass

Over the past year the GSA has received numerous inquiries about a bus pass for graduate students at WLU. It was because of the exceptional amount of feedback regarding graduate student exclusion from the undergraduate bus pass that we at the GSA decided to further explore this issue.

The GSA has met with Grand River Transit (GRT) to discuss the terms of a possible agreement between graduate students at WLU and the GRT. At the meeting we discussed the possibility of offering a Universal Pass (U-PASS) to all full time graduate students at WLU. This will offer full time graduate students the same service as full time undergraduates. Full time undergraduates can use their OneCard to receive unlimited transit on all GRT bus routes.

The U-PASS will cost close to $42 per term for both the fall and winter terms. Though the undergraduates do not have an agreement that covers the summer, GRT will work with the GSA to make the U-PASS available if there is a demand for this service by grad students.

In order for the GRT to offer the $42 per term rate and sustain its current level of service to the community any U-PASS agreement would limit the circumstances for grads (like undergrads) to opt out of the U-PASS. Currently the GRT only allows students who are registered with MobilityPLUS and CNIB to get receive a refund of their U-PASS fees.

The Wilfrid Laurier University Student Union (WLUSU) has created a very informative website for their members. If you are interested in researching the U-PASS please follow the link to their site (http://www.wlusu.com/buspass/home.htm). Also, the GRT has created a website that addresses undergraduates’ questions about their service as well as the benefits of a U-PASS to student and their community. We encourage you to explore these sites and educate yourself about the pros and cons of the U-PASS. There is not enough time to elaborate on all the benefits the bus pass has had on the undergraduate community in the confines of this letter. Suffice it to say that the U-PASS makes it possible to reduce rent by offering better linkages to affordable housing further away from the university, allow students access to a broader range of services within the Waterloo, Kitchener, and Cambridge, reduce fuel costs and parking fees, as well as the long term benefits of reducing emissions, creating a more pedestrian friendly environment, and less congestion on and around campus.

The GSA is cognizant that we represent a diverse group of student interests. We feel that the bus pass would be beneficial for the graduate student community. We have been working hard on our budget to reduce GSA administrative fees by 68%. If the cutting of administrative cost were applied to the price of a U-PASS it would effectively amount to a 50% reduction in the cost of a bus pass. This would result in a fee increase of only $42 for a two term U-PASS.