The Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA), Carleton administration, and the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA) are continuing to renegotiate the terms of the U-Pass into the new semester.
The three parties met with the City of Ottawa for the first time on Nov. 21, according to Pat Scrimgeour, assistant general manager of Customer Systems and Planning for the city.
CUSA president Folarin Odunayo said the association has been meeting frequently with the GSA and the university to build a solid argument when negotiating with the city.
The second meeting, according to Odunayo, is set to happen in January.
Odunayo said the discussions with the city include advocating for a summer U-Pass and for better bus routes and times.
“I don’t want to speak on the behalf of OC Transpo, but I think [a summer U-Pass] is a strong possibility,” Odunayo said. “We have close to 10,000 students on campus over the summer so this is something that students definitely want.”
Scrimgeour said only preliminary discussion with the university and student associations have occurred regarding the possibility of a summer U-Pass, but the city did not identify any issues or concerns.
“Experience with the first three years of the U-Pass program indicates that a summer U-Pass could work well, if the university and students decide that is what they want,” he said.
