A while back I wrote about how much money it was possible to save if you take public transportation. Since then, I have came to the realization that there are a a number of completely different alternatives for student bus passes throughout the country. The example I used of the pass in Winnipeg turned out to be around average, so that’s good as far as the comparison proceeded to go; however, shortly after looking at the different options across Canada I thought it might be useful to note the differences.
Possibly the most controversial part of student bus passes in Canada is the power of a majority of university students on numerous campuses to make the passes mandatory. Universities such as the University of Ottawa, the University of Victoria, Saint Mary’s University, and the University of Western Ontario have held student referendums where students decided to incorporate bus passes together with their overall tuition and student user fees. At Ottawa this lead to a law suit by nine students against the University simply because they felt discriminated against.
Naturally this scenario has some advantages and drawbacks. The extremely low cost of public transportation for people who use it is an indisputable incentive. On those campuses the rate was decreased to approximately a 100 dollars flat for the year! This is probably because of the improved volume of sales. The fact that students are pressured to get passes would also assist the overall usage rates. This has wonderful spin-off environmental effects, along with the previously mentioned financial ones.
Personally, the drawbacks are way more prevalent to me. During my time at the University of Manitoba we had a referendum on whether to put together a required package deal for public transportation to be supported by all students. I just can’t get past the fact that it shouldn’t be considered fair for a minor majority of students to trample the rights of a large minority and take money out of their wallets to subsidize their chosen form of transportation. If I remember correctly, there was presently a percentage of the money used from parking service fees to help offset student bus pass costs. This is still a tough sell for me regardless of the environmental benefits. Naturally as a car owner I am definitely bias.
My own distaste for particular aspects of public transportation is likely a result of the Winnipeg pubic transit system. It doesn’t matter how much money I was saving I couldn’t justify the steady waste of time. The schedules were never ever correct, the constant disrespect of travellers, and the lousy weather aspect of life in Winnipeg, was enough to encourage me to get my own car.
In the instance that I had went to school in British Columbia I would possibly have a very different perspective of student bus passes. After a comment from a local regarding her public transportation experience, I researched the Vancouver area choices. I was blown away by the great deal they got and the fact it was not subsidized by other students (this means it doesn’t penalize the students that walk, bike, or drive to school). The U-Pass (universal pass) is available to post-secondary students for the low price of $30 a month. The wonderful part of the deal is that this doesn’t only just cover the bus, but the Seabus and SkyTrain services as well! With such a complete variety of options I would assume there is a great deal of success with the program there.
In comparison, Winnipeg charges over $70 monthly for its shoddy patchwork of buses. Other monthly public transportation rates for students consist of $89 for a metro pass in Toronto, $41 in Montreal for a combined metro and bus pass, $71 for a student bus pass in Saskatoon, and Calgary didn’t even have a student rate from the information I have been able to see on their web page. The standard adult rate there for a month to month bus pass is $90.
One other thing for people (not just students) who use bus passes should be aware of is the non-refundable tax credit available. For most people you may get a pretty good idea of how much money you should get back on your taxes by multiplying the yearly rate of your bus passes by .15 (15%). This is a great little reward incentive for those of you who are already financially and environmentally conscious enough to use public transportation.
Owning a Student Bus Pass is an excellent strategy for saving money when attending university.Student public transportation is significant to any university aiming to provide a subsidised service to their students.
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