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University Transit Passes in Canada

2008 Update


Halifax, N.S. / London, Ont. / Victoria, B.C.

Summary

Organization

University of Victoria (in association with BC Transit).

University of Western Ontario (in association with London Transit Commission).

Saint Mary's University (in association with Metro Transit).

Status

This document updates the information provided in the January 2005 UTSP case study, Universal Transit Passes in Canada.

The U-Pass programs at all three universities continue to operate well. In general, modal share for transit has remained steady at each of the universities, matching the rise or fall of the student populations.

In London and Halifax, the success of the U-Pass prompted the local transit authorities to extend the program to other area colleges and universities. In Victoria, the program led BC Transit to offer similar discounted transit pass programs to employers.

Overview

The universal bus pass, or "U-Pass," is provided to students at a greatly reduced rate.

The University of Western Ontario first approved its U-Pass program in 1998; the University of Victoria followed suit in 1999 and Saint Mary's in 2003.

Each of the U-Pass programs was first approved by student referendum and, with few exceptions, participation is mandatory.

U-Passes range in price, depending on the amount of subsidy from the university, from student fees and from the local transit authority.

Contacts

Victoria, B.C.

Sarah Webb
Sustainability Coordinator,
Office of Campus Planning & Sustainability
University of Victoria
Telephone: (250) 721-6678
Email: swebb@uvic.ca

Ron Drolet
Senior Vice President of Customer Service
BC Transit
Telephone: (250) 385-2551
Email: Ron_Drolet@bctransit.com

London, Ontario

Nick Vassiliou
USC Manager
University of Western Ontario
Telephone: (519) 661-3572 0
Email: uschplan@uwo.ca

John Ford
Director of Transit
London Transit
Telephone: (519) 451-1347
Email: jford@londontransit.ca

Halifax, N.S.
Rob Finn
Students' Association General Manager
Saint Mary's University
Telephone: (902) 496-8702
Email: rob.finn@smu.ca

David Reage
Planning and Project Delivery Coordinator
Metro Transit
Telephone: (902) 490-5138
Email: reaged@halifax.ca

Resources

Victoria

Halifax

London



University of Victoria (UVic)

Overview

The University of Victoria's U-Pass program has been in operation since 1999. A second referendum was passed in 2001, which tied the price of the U-Pass to the regular adult monthly pass.

Working in partnership with UVic, BC Transit offers a four-month U-Pass at a rate of $73.25 per student. The university contributes $4 per student per semester and a portion of revenues from its parking fund; annual student fees collected by the students' association make up the remainder of the cost. Students are not required to pay any additional fee.

Participation remains mandatory for all undergraduate students (the undergraduate student population is approximately 16,700). Co-op students are not automatically enrolled, but if they remain in Victoria for their work term they can opt-in to the U-Pass program.

Students at nearby Camosun College also have a U-Pass program that uses the same model used by UVic (i.e., the college pays $4/student/semeseter and the remainder is paid out of student fees). The four-month rate for Camosun students is also $73.25

Modal Share & Service Improvements

Ridership, parking and traffic volume studies are performed every two years, with the next one slated for later in 2008. Based on the 2006 results, 29% of all travel to and from campus was by transit, a substantial increase from the program's first year, when modal share for transit accounted for only 11%.

Currently, BC Transit offers seven major routes and two special routes to the university campus (out of a total fleet of 242 buses). BC Transit estimates that approximately 420 bus trips are made per day to and from the campus.

BC Transit has not yet implemented any late night routes to and from the university but both university and BC Transit officials hope to introduce that service in the future. BC Transit officials noted that, with the release of the $14 billion Provincial Transit Plan in January 2008, additional funds will be available to improve existing services or provide new ones.

Spin-off Benefits

UVic has experienced several "spin off" benefits due to its participation in the U-Pass program. These include an employee bus pass program, reduced parking needs and a partnership with the Victoria Carshare Co-Op.

Employee discount pass

Due to the success of the U-Pass program, UVic worked with BC Transit to offer a discounted bus pass to all university employees, including sessional lecturers and student association employees.

The program, introduced in late 2005, combines financial contributions from both UVic and BC Transit. The discounted bus pass costs $33 per month, a savings of more than $42 per month compared to the cost of a regular adult pass. Out of 2,000 employees, 500 are taking advantage of the program.

Employees who wish to participate in the program must forego their right to purchase a parking permit (a general parking permit costs $320.65 per year). The pass is also flexible and does not penalize those employees who actively commute for a portion of the year (e.g., if an employee cycles to work during the summer, they can opt out of those months).

This was the first such employee program offered by BC Transit. Ron Drolet, BC Transit's Senior Vice President of Customer Service, noted that the success of the UVic program will make it easier for them to negotiate similar programs with other employers.

Parking

Parking needs have declined considerably at the university, due not only to the U-Pass and employee pass programs, but also to the University's commitment to sustainability.

As part of that commitment, UVic built two new university facilities atop former parking lots, which had provided 210 spaces. Based on an average cost of $15,000 to build and maintain one parking space over its lifetime (Cambie Corridor, Tools of Change), the university has deferred about $3 million in parking maintenance costs.

Car Sharing

UVic partnered with the Victoria Carshare Co-Op to bring three carshare cars to campus. These three cars have proven to be some of the highest-booked cars of the co-op's 14-car fleet. The cars are located next to the University's transit loop, making it easy for carshare members to get to campus to pick up the car. The University also offers free memberships to any employees who wish to participate in the carshare program, so long as they forego their right to purchase a parking permit.

Next Steps

UVic is studying the use of an employee "smart card," which would serve as both an identification card and a transit pass. Currently, the University buys the passes from BC Transit and pays the processing costs. A smart card would, therefore, reduce those costs and help the university track transit use.

Lessons Learned

Mr. Drolet notes that the U-Pass program led to a "me too" attitude, with other sectors of the community beginning to see the benefits of a universal pass. Using the experience gained from the U-Pass program, BC Transit is now in discussions with two major employers in Victoria to offer discounted transit passes for their employees.

special ferry route bus with BC Transit. The route runs twice on Friday afternoons and twice on Sundays. The service has become so popular with students (and other community members), that there are often hundreds of students lined up in advance. Sarah Webb, TDM coordinator at UVic, notes that the original negotiations should have built in "room to grow" to expand the number of routes to correspond to the demand.

When the U-Pass program began, BC Transit wanted to bring a similar program to elementary and high school students. Certain provincial legislation, however, blocked the semester-style rate system used by the University. Instead, BC Transit created the Youth Pass, which must be bought in either six- or 12-month multiples and is discounted below the usual rate of $42/month. Under the Youth Pass program, a six-month pass costs $27/month.



University of Western Ontario (UWO)

Overview

In London, the University of Western Ontario's U-Pass program has been offered to students since 1998. London Transit and UWO negotiated a discounted rate for the student transit pass, which is then funded through student fees. To keep pace with transit fare increases, the 2007-2008 rate for an eight-month U-Pass is $124.31, up from $104.75 four years ago.

UWO's total student population now stands at about 33,000 (up from 29,000 in 2004) and participation in the U-Pass program is mandatory for all undergraduates. Students who are registered with the Canadian National Institute of the Blind (CNIB) can, however, opt out of the program.

Few improvements have been made to the program, as UWO and London Transit officials note that the U-Pass is working as intended. One minor change, however, has extended the number of times a pass can be reprinted. Initially, if a pass was lost or stolen, a student would pay a $25 processing fee and was allowed two replacements. Now, if a pass is lost or stolen, the student pays the processing fee for the first replacement pass and is then allowed an unlimited number of replacements.

Costs

The average yearly cost to UWO to run the program is $20,000, which includes printing and distributing the passes, and promotional material.

Parking

UWO organizers note that the sale of parking permits has slightly increased, but this has been attributed to the increase in the student population.

Next Steps

UWO is working with London Transit to increase the number of buses running to and from campus. UWO is also continuing to explore how it can offer the program to part-time students and extend the pass for undergraduates from eight months to a full year.

Lessons Learned

The popularity of the program has put pressure on London Transit's ability to provide services to and from campus. They are currently adding buses to their 187-bus fleet. John Ford, Director of Transit, notes that, "Since there has been a steady increases in student ridership since the U-Pass program began, the cost per trip is quite low and this affects London Transit's bottom line."



Saint Mary's University (SMU)

Overview

The rate for an eight-month U-Pass for 2007-2008 at Saint Mary's University in Halifax is $115, up from $110 in 2004. SMU negotiated the rate structure with Halifax Regional Municipality's (HRM) transit authority, Metro Transit, and the passes are funded entirely through student fees. The fee to replace a lost or stolen pass has also increased since 2004, from $5 to $15.

SMU's undergraduate student population has declined in recent years, from 8,500 in 2004 to about 7,500 in 2008. Participation in the U-Pass program continues to be mandatory for all undergraduate students.

Co-op students may now choose to participate in the program if their work term will be completed within the Halifax Regional Municipality. SMU students with disabilities who use Metro Transit's "Access-A-Bus" and students with a CNIB transit pass are also eligible for the program, but can opt out if they wish.

The average yearly cost to run the program is about $5,000. The students' association, which is funded through student fees, absorbs these costs.

Expansion of the program to other universities

Due to the success of the U-Pass program at SMU, Metro Transit now offers the program to Dalhousie University, the University of King's College, Mount Saint Vincent University and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) University.

The cost for an eight-month pass for the Dalhousie and King's College U-Pass programs is $116; for Mount Saint Vincent the cost is $118; for NSCAD, the pass costs $117.

As part of the promotion for its U-Pass program, Dalhousie University calculated that it would only take the equivalent of four return trips per month to make the U-Pass cost-effective for students.

Ridership/Service Improvements

Although no new recent ridership surveys have been done to determine the average trips per month to and from campus, Metro Transit officials note that ridership at SMU is still very high with bus routes to and from campus at capacity.

Metro Transit purchased several new transit vehicles in late 2007, which should help ease bus congestion in the future.

The additional revenue generated by introducing the U-Pass to Dalhousie University allowed Metro Transit to increase service to the university from several key transit terminals. When the pass was introduced in January 2005, three new routes were created to serve the university; in the fall of 2006, these three were combined into a single route linking the university with the Dartmouth Sportsplex, Mumford Terminal and Lacewood Terminal. By combining the routes, Metro Transit has been able to increase the frequency of service between the terminals and the university.

Students using "community" routes (Metro Transit routes that run outside of the HRM boundaries) no longer need to pay an additional fare when using their U-Pass.

Next Steps

The success of the U-Pass program prompted Metro Transit to enter into a partnership with the Ecology Action Centre to begin working on an EcoPass program for area employers. A pilot program for employees at the Nova Scotia Department of Energy ran from 2006 to 2007. Employees received a 15% discounted transit pass. The partners are currently evaluating the results, with an eye to rolling out additional full-time programs later in 2008 or 2009.

Lessons Learned

As it added universities to the U-Pass program, Metro Transit feels that it could have offered a "generic" U-Pass to all students, regardless of the institution they attended. This would have streamlined the program for all of the universities involved and reduced the overall time and effort required to implement the program at each university. Metro Transit is considering moving to a generic U-Pass in the future.



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Date modified:
2010-08-26