Last week I had written about how much money it was plausible to save if you take public transportation. After that, I have became aware that there are a many completely different possibilities for student bus passes throughout the country. The example I used of the pass in Winnipeg turned out to be close to average, so that’s fine as far as the comparison proceeded to go; however, after finding out about the many options across Canada I thought it could be useful to make note of the differences.

Possibly the most controversial component of student bus passes in Canada is the power of a majority of students on several 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 organised student referendums where students elected to include bus passes as part of their entire tuition and student user fees. At Ottawa this contributed to a law suit by 9 students against the University felt discriminated against.

Naturally this predicament has some advantages and disadvantages. The very low cost of public transportation for people who use it is an unquestionable bonus. On those campuses the cost was lowered to close to a hundred dollars flat for the year! This is very likely because of the increased volume of sales. The fact that students are forced to get passes would certainly also improve the overall usage rates. This has great spin-off environmental effects, as well as the previously mentioned financial ones.

Myself personally, the downsides are much more prevalent to me. During my time at the University of Manitoba there was a referendum on whether to come up with a required package deal for public transportation to be supported by all students. I quite frankly can not get past the fact that it should not be considered realistic for a minor majority of students to trample the rights of a giant minority and take money out of their wallets to subsidize their preferred form of transportation. If I remember correctly, there was currently a percentage of the money used from parking fees to help offset student bus pass costs. This is still a hard sell for me regardless of the environmental benefits. Naturally as a car owner I am definitely bias.

My distaste for certain aspects of public transportation is very likely a result of the Winnipeg pubic transit system. It doesn’t matter how much money I was saving I couldn’t rationalize the constant waste of time. The schedules were never ever correct, the constant disrespect of passengers, and the lousy weather aspect of life in Winnipeg, was more than enough to inspire me to get my own car.

If perhaps I had went to school in British Columbia I might have a very different view of student bus passes. After a remark from a local concerning her public transportation experience, I checked out the Vancouver area alternatives. I was impressed by the excellent bargain they got and the fact it was not subsidized by other students (this means it doesn’t punish 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 each month. The excellent part of the deal is that this doesn’t solely cover the bus, but the Seabus and SkyTrain services as well! With such a complete variety of options I would presume there is a reasonable amount of success with the program presently there.

In comparison, Winnipeg charges over $70 each month for its poor patchwork of buses. Other monthly public transportation rates for students include $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 general 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 some people you may get a pretty good idea of how much money you should receive on your taxes by multiplying the annual price of your bus passes by .15 (15%). This is a great little reward incentive for people who are already financially and environmentally mindful enough to use public transportation.

having a Student Bus Pass is a popular way to save money when going to school. Student public transportation is highly important to any university aiming to make a subsidised program to their students.

A week ago I had written about how much money it was plausible to save through public transportation. After that, I have became aware that there are a a number of different selections for student bus passes throughout the country. The example I used of the pass in Winnipeg turned out to be roughly average, so that’s good as far as the comparison proceeded to go; however, shortly after finding out about the different options around Canada I thought it could be helpful to make note of the differences.

Probably the most controversial issue of student bus passes in Canada is the ability of a majority of university students on some campuses to make the passes mandatory. Universities just like the University of Ottawa, the University of Victoria, Saint Mary’s University, and the University of Western Ontario have organized student referendums where students elected to add bus passes together with their all around 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.

Obviously this predicament has some positives and disadvantages. The very low cost of public transportation for people who use it is an indisputable bonus. For those campuses the rate was decreased to about a hundred bucks flat for the year! This is likely because of the improved volume of sales. The fact that students are required to get passes would definitely also help the overall usage rates. This has great spin-off environmental effects, along with the previously mentioned financial ones.

Myself personally, the disadvantages are way more prevalent to me. During my time at the University of Manitoba there was a referendum on whether to put together a compulsory package for public transportation to be supported by all students. I simply just can not get past the fact that it shouldn’t be considered fair for a slight majority of students to trample the legal rights of a giant minority and take money out of their pockets to subsidize their chosen form of transportation. If I remember correctly, there was currently 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 despite the environmental benefits. Not surprisingly as a car owner I am definitely bias.

My distaste for particular aspects of public transportation is very likely a result of the Winnipeg pubic transit system. Regardless of how much money I was saving I couldn’t rationalize the steady waste of time. The schedules were hardly ever correct, the constant rudeness of passengers, and the lousy weather aspect of life in Winnipeg, was enough to motivate me to get my own vehicle.

If I had attended school in British Columbia I might have a very different perspective of student bus passes. After a remark from a local regarding her public transportation experience, I checked out the Vancouver area alternatives. I was blown away by the excellent bargain 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 per month. The really great part of the deal is that this doesn’t just cover the bus, but the Seabus and SkyTrain services as well! With such a comprehensive variety of options I would assume there is quite a bit of success with the program there.

In contrast, Winnipeg charges over $70 per month for its poor patchwork of buses. Other monthly public transportation rates for students include $89 for a metro pass in Toronto, $41 in Montreal for a merged metro and bus pass, $71 for a student bus pass in Saskatoon, and Calgary didn’t even have a student price from the information I was able to see on their web site. The basic adult rate there for a month-to-month bus pass is $90.

One other thing people (not just students) who use bus passes should be advised of is the non-refundable tax credit available. For the majority of people you may get a pretty good idea of how much money you should get back on your taxes by multiplying the annual price of your bus passes by .15 (15%). This is a wonderful little reward incentive for people who are already financially and environmentally conscious enough to use public transportation.

Getting a student bus pass is a popular approach to saving money when attending school. Student public transportation is essential to any university planning to make a subsidised service to their students.