TTC recommends board endorse U-Pass

Program would provide $70 monthly passes for post-secondary students

Students at Toronto universities and colleges could be in line for steep discounts on TTC passes, as part of a new program designed to provide financial relief to cash-strapped young people while boosting transit ridership.

In a report published Tuesday, the TTC recommends the agency’s board endorse the so-called U-Pass program, which would allow post-secondary students unlimited travel for as little as $70 per month, less than half the price of an adult monthly pass.

“A U-Pass will make transportation more affordable for post-secondary students and could potentially unlock additional economic, educational and cultural opportunities,” the report states. The board will debate the issue on March 20.

The report notes the average income for college and university students is less than half the provincial average, and at current prices a post-secondary pass costs $930 each eight-month school year.

There’s a catch, however. For the UPass program to work, participation would have to be mandatory for all students at an institution, with the cost added to their student fees.

A portion of students at the city’s colleges and universities already buy monthly post-secondary passes, which cost $116.75. By spreading the cost of the U-Pass evenly across all students, the program would lower the price of travel for those who currently buy passes, while increasing costs for most who don’t, and keeping the program revenue neutral for the TTC.

For instance, of the 40,000 full-time undergraduate students at the University of Toronto’s St. George campus, the TTC estimates just over half use transit frequently. Each month, 13,200 buy a post-secondary pass, and 10,800 don’t buy a pass but spend about $99 on single rides, generating $2.6 million in revenue for the TTC.

Under the U-Pass program, all 40,000 students would pay $70 a month to get a pass, generating $2.8 million for the TTC.

The cost of the program is based on at least one of University of Toronto St. George campus, OCAD University, Ryerson University, or George Brown College opting in, which would require a student referendum at each school.

The TTC estimates the U-Pass program would result in a 15-per-cent increase in transit trips taken by students. If all four institutions participated, it would lead to 4.2 million additional rides each year. That would be good news for the transit agency, which is seeking ways to grow ridership after four years of stagnation.

The $4.7-million annual cost of adding service to accommodate the increased ridership would be recouped through the U-Pass revenue.

Because it takes time to hold a referendum and student fees for each semester are usually set well in advance, the program couldn’t start until the fall of 2019 for most institutions.

However, the University of Toronto Students’ Union (UTSU) already has a referendum scheduled for March 26 to March 28, and if students endorse the U-Pass it could be in place this fall.

A previous referendum on the idea failed at the University of Toronto Scarborough campus in 2008, but UTSU president Mathias Memmel said this time “our data suggests wide support for U-Pass.” A survey the union conducted last year determined more than 95 per cent of respondents approved of the concept.

Memmel defended the idea of students who currently don’t buy TTC passes being compelled to subsidize lowering transit costs for those who do. He argued the program would benefit all students by giving them greater access to transit at discounted prices.