The School Bus Pass - Reasons Why There Are All Kinds Of Discussions Because Of Them
The previous week I had written about how much money it was plausible to save if you take public transportation. Since then, I have became aware that there are a many varying 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 fine as far as the comparison went; however, soon after checking out the different options around Canada I thought it may be interesting to note the differences.
Probably the most debatable part of student bus passes in Canada is the capability of a majority of 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 decided to incorporate bus passes as part of their over-all tuition and student user fees. At Ottawa this contributed to a law suit by 9 students against the University given that they felt discriminated against.
Obviously this dilemma has some positives and drawbacks. The very low cost of public transportation for people who use it is an unquestionable bonus. On those campuses the rate was decreased to approximately a 100 bucks flat for the year! This is probably because of the improved volume of sales. The fact that students are obligated to get passes would also help the overall usage rates. This has excellent spin-off environmental effects, as well as the aforementioned 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 come up with a mandatory package for public transportation to be supported by all students. I quite frankly can’t get past the fact that it shouldn’t be considered realistic for a negligible majority of students to trample the rights of a large minority and take money out of their wallets to subsidize their preferred mode 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 despite the environmental benefits. Not surprisingly as a car owner I am definitely bias.
My own distaste for specific aspects of public transportation is most likely a result of the Winnipeg pubic transit system. No 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 vehicle.
If I had attended school in British Columbia I may have a very different view of student bus passes. After a comment from a local concerning her public transportation experience, I checked out the Vancouver area possible choices. I was impressed by the terrific deal 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 readily availablefor sale to post-secondary students for the low price of $30 per month. The really great 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 extensive variety of options I would assume there is a reasonable amount of success with the program there.
In comparison, Winnipeg charges over $70 per month 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 actually have a student price from the information I have been able to see on their website. The general adult rate there for a regular bus pass is $90.
One other thing people (not just students) who use bus passes should be informed of is the non-refundable tax credit available. For many people you can find 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 bonus incentive for those of you who are already financially and environmentally sensitive enough to use public transportation.
Having a student bus pass is a popular approach to saving money when attending school. Student public transportation is crucial to any university that is thinking make a subsidised program to their students.