Undergraduate students at the University of Ottawa voted Feb. 14-16 to keep the U-Pass for another full year.
Among the 16 per cent of students who voted, 69.9 per cent voted “yes,” according to Elizabeth Kessler, Student Federation of the University of Ottawa (SFUO) vice-president (university affairs).
But the positive result of this referendum question doesn’t necessarily mean that the U-Pass will return, Kessler said.
“OC Transpo has placed a condition on the program running, which is that both the undergraduate and the graduate students sign onto the program,” Kessler said.
The Graduate Students’ Association of the University of Ottawa will have their referendum in March.
If passed, the U-Pass will be available for $180 per semester, which will be raised from this year’s amount of $145.
“The program will be slightly different in other ways — students who live outside of Ottawa will now be able to opt-out of the program, according to negotiations that we’ve had with OC Transpo,” Kessler said.
Ottawa’s U-Pass is already the most expensive in Canada and with the semester pass taken away, Kessler said “the quality of the transit services we are receiving is getting worse and there is no way to guarantee that services will get better or even maintained.”
That said, Kessler said she believes it’s a good idea to vote for the U-Pass, since it’s “bulk purchasing cheap transit,” which will save students money.
Carleton’s referendum for the U-Pass will also be taking place in March. Carleton University Students’ Association vice–president (student issues) Chantle Beeso said there’s no way to predict whether or not students will vote for the pass.
“There are many factors to consider when voting and we are still negotiating with OC Transpo to propose the best possible multi-year program for students,” Beeso said.
Despite the cost increase, Beeso said it’s important to have the pass since OC Transpo offers the transportation students need in an environmentally friendly manner.
To promote the upcoming referendum, Carleton will run “Yes” and “No” campaigns to help students make their decisions. CUSA will also ensure students are aware of the vote by providing details via the Charlatan, email and their website, Beeso said.
