Ottawa college students over the age of 19 will no longer be able to purchase a student bus pass starting September 2012, according to OC Transpo.
Students over the age of 19 will have to purchase a regular adult bus pass for $96.25 a month, which is over $20 more than the original regular student bus pass. A student pass is only available on a monthly basis and costs $75 a month.
This change will affect college students year-round at Algonquin College, Saint Paul University, La Cité Collegiale, and Dominican University College, who do not have a U-Pass program.
Students from Carleton and University of Ottawa who are over 19 will also be affected from May to August when the U-Pass isn’t valid.
The change is because of the introduction of the new Presto system, according to David Pepper, manager of the business and operational services branch at OC Transpo.
The Presto system uses a reloadable plastic card and “provides a new level of convenience, flexibility and value for OC Transpo customers,” according to the OC Transpo website.
“With the introduction of the Presto system, an adjustment was made to the defined age groups of customers to be consistent with those of other transit systems using the Presto system across Ontario,” Pepper said via email.
These changes were approved by the Transit Commission on April 23 and by city council on April 25 Pepper said.
Pepper said OC Transpo has established a one-time transition period for July and August 2012 that will allow students over 19 to continue to pay the student rate for the remainder of the summer.
In order to make use of this offer, students must have an existing valid student photo ID or the U-Pass ID valid until the end of August 2012, Pepper said.
Presto is an Ontario-wide initiative led by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) which has been adopted by nine other transit providers in the Greater Toronto-Hamilton area, according to the OC Transpo website.
David Corson, president of Algonquin College’s student association, said he is frustrated with what OC Transpo has done.
He said it’s short notice and that although the student association is trying to work with OC Transpo, he said he is finding it to be difficult.
A U-Pass for college students cannot be established on such short notice, Corson said.
He said it is very unlikely that a college U-Pass will be established for this September or January.
“There’s a process we have to go through. The Ministry requires it. Colleges have contracts that control fee raises,” Corson said. “It’s frustrating because our students are suffering.”
This is not the first time OC Transpo has placed an age cap on student bus passes.
In December 2008, before a U-Pass program started, city council decided to impose an age cap of 27 on all student bus passes. The decision came into effect on July 1 2009.
In September 2009, city council rescinded the decision following an appeal from various Ottawa student unions, which included a petition of more than 2,400 signatures.
“I thought the city outranks OC Transpo but apparently I had it wrong,” Corson said in reference to the 2009 decision.
Corson said that the student association has full support from the college administration, including a letter written to OC Transpo.
“Students are students not by age but by position. If you’re a student, you’re a student,” Corson said.
