Students at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) voted in favour of keeping their U-Pass mandatory in an online referendum held Oct. 5 and 6.

The U-Pass has been part of a pilot program at UPEI for the last two years, and the end of the pilot period called for a referendum where 721 students voted in favour of keeping a mandatory fee in exchange for a Charlottetown transit pass.

The original referendum, which lead to the approval of the U-Pass as a pilot program, was voted on by a total of 800 people, out of a total campus population of about 4500.

Rob Livingstone, president of UPEI’s student union, said the second referendum was merely a follow-up to make sure that students still wanted to keep the U-Pass as a mandatory fee.

“My understanding is that the new agreement is indefinite unless there’s a huge outcry against it,” Livingstone said, explaining that another referendum will not be necessary in the foreseeable future. He said he believes the transit system benefits students and makes transportation easy for students both on and off campus.

Livingstone also said the new, more permanent agreement also allows for expansion, including transit routes that function early in the morning and late at night.

Carleton University Student Association vice president (student issues) Dina Skvirsky said she believes it’s still too early to be sure about the fate of Carleton University’s U-Pass since CUSA is still discussing the matter with OC Transpo.

However, according to Skvirsky, the response to the U-Pass has been mostly positive here at Carleton, but OC Transpo will be conducting an official on-campus survey during the winter to determine whether the program is actually successful.

According to Skvirsky, students are happy to be saving money and avoiding long line-ups for transit passes. While this is the first year that the U-Pass has been implemented at Carleton, it has been accepted by students as a convenient tool to be used on OC Transpo, she said.

“I use the bus everyday to get to classes, so I really like the U-Pass. It’s a lot more convenient than buying bus passes,” said first-year political science student Sarah Ogilvie.

“Buses and the O-Train have been very busy,” Skvirsky said. “we will be looking to increase transit service to campus in negotiations for next year's U-Pass, if the program continues.”