[Gh0stRider]

The U-Pass affordable transit program has been expanded to cover all students in publicly-funded post-secondary institutions, following years of campaigning by student groups.

Premier Gordon Campbell made the announcement at Vancouver Community College Wednesday morning during a news conference with Transportation and Infrastructure minister Shirley Bond and chair of the Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation Peter Fassbender.

Under U-Pass B.C., Metro Vancouver students will pay $30 per month for a system-wide pass. The province will invest $20-million in the initiative from now until April 2013.

Starting Sept. 1, 2010, U-Pass rates at Langara College and Capilano University will be decreased to $30 per month. Rates for students at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University will stay as they are now until Sept. 1, 2011, when they will be eligible to enjoy the same subsidized rates as other students, according to a news release.

The program begins in September.



Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Pass+program+extended+Metro+Vancouver+public+post+ secondary+students/3132174/story.html#ixzz0qNwPVdM8

[twitchyzero]

University Pass changed its name to Universal Pass :lol

not that i dont think all post secondary students deserve it, but translink fails so hard when they give all post-secondary students compulsory subsidized passes without increasing the service.

the UBC bus i take to school has more langara students than UBC students...and yep half of the time it's either late or it passes right by because it's full :mad:

[Ikkaku]

:lol SFU is supposed to have the production way bus (145) schedules re-evaluated. I wonder if it has been effective

[hotong]

sick!!!

[Jsunu]

UPass is a GREAT system for post secondary students. I shutter to think what would I had to pay in order to commute without it.

[MDMA]

Yesssss!!!!! Finally !!!
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

[LiquidTurbo]

Wow. This is going to cause insane crowding. I hope they re-evaluate their routes and add more busses to accommodate the increased demand.

[Mugen EvOlutioN]

should have done it a long time ago


but its never too late i guess

[Qmx323]

now they have to increase the number of buses that run or else its gonna be like a sardine can

[FN-2199]

About time.

On the other hand, I can't bug Kwantlen and douggie daycare students about it anymore. :p
Posted via RS Mobile (http://www.revscene.net/forums/announcement.php?a=228)

[dimsum119]

are they making it mandatory to pay for the upass at all post secondaries? I always thought it was a load of shit cuz why the fuck would I pay for something I dont even use? I drive, I never bus yet I still pay $150 a semester just for a damn pass.

I think having the OPTION of having a upass for postsecondary students is good, but dont make it mandatory for everyone to pay. People that bus then they can buy it, people that drive all the time have no need for it. If youre gonna make everyone pay for it at least give people the option of paying for a parking pass or a upass.

[q0192837465]

are they making it mandatory to pay for the upass at all post secondaries? I always thought it was a load of shit cuz why the fuck would I pay for something I dont even use? I drive, I never bus yet I still pay $150 a semester just for a damn pass.

I think having the OPTION of having a upass for postsecondary students is good, but dont make it mandatory for everyone to pay. People that bus then they can buy it, people that drive all the time have no need for it. If youre gonna make everyone pay for it at least give people the option of paying for a parking pass or a upass.

The whole reason why Upass makes it cheap for students to communte is because everybody subsidizes everybody else. It works like insurance where everyone pays premium but only those who make claims get the money back. If there's an option to opt out of the program, the whole thing falls apart and it will be as though the program never existed. Sucks for drivers? Yes. But maybe it's time to re-evaluate your options. I ditched my car when UBC first implemented the U-Pass while many of my frds didn't. They subsidized for my cheap commute (while I leech rides off them :haha:).

[Teriyaki]

now they have to increase the number of buses that run or else its gonna be like a sardine can

This won't be happening because Translink is running on life support, with just enough funding to keep current service levels.

Translink as an entity is problematic, since they are severely crippled in how they can raise funds to operate, yet they're ordered to operate both public transit and manage the road infrastructure.

[orange7]

lol.. ppl are going to register for only 1 course

[misteranswer]

Rates for students at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University will stay as they are now until Sept. 1, 2011, when they will be eligible to enjoy the same subsidized rates as other students, according to a news release.

So because everyone else gets a UPass, UBC and SFU students get to "enjoy" a rate hike later.

[q0192837465]

lol.. ppl are going to register for only 1 course

Very true. Reg for 1 course and drop it in the first week, u get 8 months of cheap transit fare.

[twitchyzero]

are they making it mandatory to pay for the upass at all post secondaries? I always thought it was a load of shit cuz why the fuck would I pay for something I dont even use? I drive, I never bus yet I still pay $150 a semester just for a damn pass.

I think having the OPTION of having a upass for postsecondary students is good, but dont make it mandatory for everyone to pay. People that bus then they can buy it, people that drive all the time have no need for it. If youre gonna make everyone pay for it at least give people the option of paying for a parking pass or a upass.
it's subsidized so everyone pays up.

that's why UBC's upass is the cheapest because they have the most student

So because everyone else gets a UPass, UBC and SFU students get to "enjoy" a rate hike later.

rate hike usually are affected by growing rates of regular passes...not so much because other institutions are jumping on it

[woob]

so the UBC U-Pass is going to go from $95/semester to $120/semester..... dammit.

[Armind]

FML! My school is considered private.

:fuuuuu:

[Benz_05TSX]

^ then you should be baller enough to have a car... hahahhaah

[Sid Vicious]

UPass is a GREAT system for post secondary students. I shutter to think what would I had to pay in order to commute without it.

there should be some way to opt out of it. alot of people, myself included don't use it enough to justify the cost

[hal0g0dv2]

that is pretty solid

[Not really racist!]

Very true. Reg for 1 course and drop it in the first week, u get 8 months of cheap transit fare.

bingo! so many people do that

[Edison_Chen]

Any word on Kwantlen students..

[FI-Z33]

wtf, i wanna opt out when they increase the SFU rate

Starting Sept. 1, U-Pass rates at Langara College and Capilano University - now $38 and $32 respectively - will drop to $30. Rates at UBC and SFU - $24 and $26 respectively - will remain the same until Sept. 1, 2011, at which point they will rise to $30.


:mad: this is ridonkulous

[m4k4v4li]

boo urns for socialist policies

[dimsum119]

The whole reason why Upass makes it cheap for students to communte is because everybody subsidizes everybody else. It works like insurance where everyone pays premium but only those who make claims get the money back. If there's an option to opt out of the program, the whole thing falls apart and it will be as though the program never existed. Sucks for drivers? Yes. But maybe it's time to re-evaluate your options. I ditched my car when UBC first implemented the U-Pass while many of my frds didn't. They subsidized for my cheap commute (while I leech rides off them :haha:).

it's subsidized so everyone pays up.

that's why UBC's upass is the cheapest because they have the most student

rate hike usually are affected by growing rates of regular passes...not so much because other institutions are jumping on it

Both are valid points, but what im saying is that people should be able to opt out. If not opting out and they really want the extra money from every student, then at least give a choice of 1) upass to buy 2) a parking pass for the semester.

I understand its subsidized like ICBC but that doesnt work with upass. People who choose to drive have to buy insurance, if you dont wanna drive you dont have to pay. But regardless of if you drive, walk, bike, carpool, or bus to school you have to pay for the upass which is kinda bullshit.

I rmb at langara before tehy had the upass, they had a vote on whether or not to have the OPTION of having the upass at the school. I think like 90% voted yes to the OPTION because to help other or for whatever reason. But after it was passed, they made it MANDATORY for everyone to buy one and turned the vote around saying that "90% of Langara Students voted fro teh Upass" before they introduced teh fineprint.

[hotong]

FML! My school is considered private.

:fuuuuu:

what school you go to

[shenmecar]

sweet! i may consider driving less now.

[Volvo-brickster]

for all those people that complain about not being able to opt out

1 = suck it up

2 = sell it on craigslist

3 = repeat for each semester you attend until graduation

4 = profit

I did that for 3 years at SFU. I would get in my car and drive up and down the mountain passing the horrendously packed sardine cans. Cool in the summer, warm in the winter and never stuck when it snowed.

It was fantastic :D

[Armind]

what school you go to

AI

[Fafine]

kwantlen considered as a private school?

[optiblue]

Wow, it's great for students who need it, but 5 years later and students that don't want it still can't opt out? Well I'm pretty biased as I was probably one of the only few who posted flyers around campus and voted no!

[Tapioca]

boo urns for socialist policies

The university/college you attend is itself partially funded by taxpayers. Boo urns indeed.

I remember the debate we had when they initially brought the U-Pass program in. As far as I'm concerned, if you drive and are a student, you can afford to pay a little extra for U-Pass.

[InvisibleSoul]

I understand its subsidized like ICBC but that doesnt work with upass. People who choose to drive have to buy insurance, if you dont wanna drive you dont have to pay. But regardless of if you drive, walk, bike, carpool, or bus to school you have to pay for the upass which is kinda bullshit.
Comparing it to insurance isn't the best analogy.

Compare it to health care.

Everyone has to pay for it. Doesn't matter if you use it or not.

[goo3]

Both are valid points, but what im saying is that people should be able to opt out. If not opting out and they really want the extra money from every student, then at least give a choice of 1) upass to buy 2) a parking pass for the semester.


That's not an option. Either UPASS for everybody or UPASS for nobody.

You want to have your cake and eat it too. You can choose not to drive and not buy insurance. And you can choose not to go to school and not buy the UPASS.

I didn't like UPASS at first either. But I might as well milk it if I have to buy it.

[choda]

I thought at UBC you were able to opt out? Even if not just do what Volvo said and make cash off it!

[Sid Vicious]

The university/college you attend is itself partially funded by taxpayers. Boo urns indeed.

I remember the debate we had when they initially brought the U-Pass program in. As far as I'm concerned, if you drive and are a student, you can afford to pay a little extra for U-Pass.

So you should buy something that's useless to you even though you can afford it?

Strong logic.

[tiger_handheld]

So does this mean that ONLY Langara , SFU , UBC , and Cap will have upass?

What about: Kwantlen, Douglas, BCIT?

[fishing666]

Comparing it to insurance isn't the best analogy.

Compare it to health care.

Everyone has to pay for it. Doesn't matter if you use it or not.

health care and translink are not equal. most people are happy to pay for health care even if they don't use it. you would be happy if u dont have to use health care right? it's also free if you don't have income..

[misteranswer]

health care and translink are not equal. most people are happy to pay for health care even if they don't use it. you would be happy if u dont have to use health care right? it's also free if you don't have income..

You can apply for upass subsidy at UBC and SFU. So if you're poor it's free.

Then let's not talk about health care. let's talk about those roads in front of your house. I don't use them, why should I have to pay for them?

[fishing666]

You can apply for upass subsidy at UBC and SFU. So if you're poor it's free.

Then let's not talk about health care. let's talk about those roads in front of your house. I don't use them, why should I have to pay for them?
lol u dont use roads?? so ur inside ur house all the time?

i wouldn't mind buying roads so you could pay me a toll each time u walk over it.

[ForbiddenX]

Sounds awesome! Was mostly using a concession monthly when the school year started last year. Paying $80/month is killer imo. I'd rather pay for gas (which I did). A lot more convenient than taking the bus, although I miss napping from BCIT to my house.
Can't go wrong with $30/month.

[Shun Izaki]

This is fucking ridiculous.

I'm taxpaying for some fucking HS kids to skytrain/bus to MORE places since they don't have to pay anymore?

Thanks BC goverment, I'll be bringing this shit up when they start crying "we're in debt! we're in debt!"

Don't get me wrong, everyone should have a safe ride, and ease of commute, but THAT'S WHY WE WORKED OUR ASSES OFF IN HS to buy cars/pay for insurance.

98% of the people who agree with this are in HS, or have already thought of some smartass loophole. At least the gangsta wannabe kids won't want their real name next to a picture and probably won't get one.

[dizzystar]

This would have been fucking fantastic last year when I was in VCC.

We still had a way to do semi-cheap transit.. We would buy a 'fastrax' sticker and attach it to our student ID, then we only were forced to buy a 1zone pass versus a 3zone since i was coming from Langley. But still, that was 80 fucking dollars a month, would have loved to save $50 over the 9 months i was there... $450 dollars... damn.

[twitchyzero]

This is fucking ridiculous.

I'm taxpaying for some fucking HS kids to skytrain/bus to MORE places since they don't have to pay anymore?

Don't get me wrong, everyone should have a safe ride, and ease of commute, but THAT'S WHY WE WORKED OUR ASSES OFF IN HS to buy cars/pay for insurance.


First off, i doubt much taxes are going to fund U-pass...they are subsidized in the sense that every student at that institution has to pay up.

2nd of all, Langara, SFU, Douglas, UBC does not equal high school.

[Tapioca]

So you should buy something that's useless to you even though you can afford it?

Strong logic.

You can say that about a lot of things that we pay for through our taxes, but we should look at the bigger picture. What's the objective of the program?

- Give post-secondary students a break (not everyone lives at home, has their tuition paid for by parents, etc.)
- Create an interest in public transit so when these students start their real lives, they may actually care about public transit and support initiatives to make it better
- It's somewhat "green" (I'm not going to get into that ball of glue)

My view is that if you can afford to finance, drive, and maintain a car while you're going to university, you are well-off. Owning a car, in my view, is considered a luxury.

[Gumby]

Starting Sept. 1, U-Pass rates at Langara College and Capilano University - now $38 and $32 respectively - will drop to $30. Rates at UBC and SFU - $24 and $26 respectively - will remain the same until Sept. 1, 2011, at which point they will rise to $30.
This doesn't make sense. If you add more schools/students to this U-Pass program, the increase in the overall pool of money is not proportional to the increase in the number of actual transit users. Every new student added will pay, but not every new student will use the system. Therefore, the price per student should stay the same, or decrease. So UBC and SFU students got shafted.

[XtC-604]

:lol SFU is supposed to have the production way bus (145) schedules re-evaluated. I wonder if it has been effective
Lol then what you'll see is a line of 145s moving at a pace of 20km/hr up the hill XD

are they making it mandatory to pay for the upass at all post secondaries? I always thought it was a load of shit cuz why the fuck would I pay for something I dont even use? I drive, I never bus yet I still pay $150 a semester just for a damn pass.

I think having the OPTION of having a upass for postsecondary students is good, but dont make it mandatory for everyone to pay. People that bus then they can buy it, people that drive all the time have no need for it. If youre gonna make everyone pay for it at least give people the option of paying for a parking pass or a upass.
It is a load of shit, i'm paying 150 for no fucking reason, since i drive. And the name U-PASS needs to be changed, should be now called the LOSER CRUISER pass, since all the retards even in knock off, no name universities get it -.-

[InvisibleSoul]

health care and translink are not equal. most people are happy to pay for health care even if they don't use it. you would be happy if u dont have to use health care right? it's also free if you don't have income..
What does being happy with it or not have anything to do with it?

[fishing666]

What does being happy with it or not have anything to do with it?
i meant happy as in the willingness to pay

[dachinesedude]

you can opt out if your transit time is more that 1.75 hrs (SFU, not sure bout other schools), which was the case for me before the canada line came about, now its 1.5 hrs

fucking skytrain

[Vinny G]

This is fucking ridiculous.

I'm taxpaying for some fucking HS kids to skytrain/bus to MORE places since they don't have to pay anymore?

Thanks BC goverment, I'll be bringing this shit up when they start crying "we're in debt! we're in debt!"

Don't get me wrong, everyone should have a safe ride, and ease of commute, but THAT'S WHY WE WORKED OUR ASSES OFF IN HS to buy cars/pay for insurance.

98% of the people who agree with this are in HS, or have already thought of some smartass loophole. At least the gangsta wannabe kids won't want their real name next to a picture and probably won't get one.

Stupidest post in this thread by far. You have outdone yourself.

[hotong]

This is fucking ridiculous.

I'm taxpaying for some fucking HS kids to skytrain/bus to MORE places since they don't have to pay anymore?

Thanks BC goverment, I'll be bringing this shit up when they start crying "we're in debt! we're in debt!"

Don't get me wrong, everyone should have a safe ride, and ease of commute, but THAT'S WHY WE WORKED OUR ASSES OFF IN HS to buy cars/pay for insurance.

98% of the people who agree with this are in HS, or have already thought of some smartass loophole. At least the gangsta wannabe kids won't want their real name next to a picture and probably won't get one.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_woU5s2fwbZo/SqkGSx4PgNI/AAAAAAABL4E/LS3mzHY_w6s/s400/calm-down.jpg

[dark0821]

well even on the semesters i dun "take class"
i just register till the Upass is mailed than i drop it... -.-

[Gumby]

well even on the semesters i dun "take class"
i just register till the Upass is mailed than i drop it... -.-
Well you should take class - English 101 at the very least.

[twitchyzero]

Stupidest post in this thread by far. You have outdone yourself.

you should search his old posts about his JB..this is nothing

[Heavy_user]

Upass would be a great program if Translink improves their services by using the revenue gained by Upass.

[tiger_handheld]

^ 13.5M ( $30 x 450,000 students per article) is not going to do a damn thing when top mgmt gets paid $$$$$$ in salaries and bonuses.

[Tapioca]

^ 13.5M ( $30 x 450,000 students per article) is not going to do a damn thing when top mgmt gets paid $$$$$$ in salaries and bonuses.

Right, so paying a couple of executives to the tune of 200K-300K a year and slashing their salaries in half is really going to make a dent in the finances of a major organization which is responsible for delivering and maintaining transit and road infrastructure?

If you ran an organization with the kind of mandate that Translink has, what would be an acceptable salary for you? Would you work for 50K and have to deal with the province, municipal governments, and an aggressive and powerful union like CMBC?

[Sid Vicious]

Right, so paying a couple of executives to the tune of 200K-300K a year and slashing their salaries in half is really going to make a dent in the finances of a major organization which is responsible for delivering and maintaining transit and road infrastructure?

If you ran an organization with the kind of mandate that Translink has, what would be an acceptable salary for you? Would you work for 50K and have to deal with the province, municipal governments, and an aggressive and powerful union like CMBC?

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20081114/BC_translink_pay_081114/20081114/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

"In Burnaby's Metrotown towers sit some of the best paid executives in the land.
TransLink employees have seen their salaries sky-rocket in the past five years,
What they can do is marvel at how much TransLink executives make. Some employees are making twice as much as they did just six years ago.

Former CEO Pat Jacobsen saw her salary jump by 77 per cent to $361,000 a year. The salary for VP of major construction, Fred Cummings, went up 91 per cent. And Bob Paddon, the VP of public affairs, saw his salary double."

http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=72571a91-7781-403a-8fab-8c4d5eaa5885&sponsor=
NDP transportation critic Maurine Karagianis said it is hypocritical for TransLink to be raising management salaries when it's strapped for cash.