Education student Bryden Kletchko isn’t a fan of the pass.
“Is it worth it to have a bus pass as part of my tuition?” said Kletchko, a third year University of Regina student who is upset about a mandatory fee for a service she doesn’t use.
Even though the Omicron variant has led the university to move classes online for the time being, the mandatory purchase of a city transit pass remains in the tuition for the Winter 2022 semester. The U-Pass costs $87.60 per semester.
“I don’t think so because I drive to school,” said Kletchko. “[W]hen it was in person I would drive to school, and I’ve never used my bus pass. I make car payments, so paying the extra like hundred bucks a semester isn’t helpful.
“I’ve heard that it’s hard to opt-out of it and I kind of just don’t have the time to dispute it. I’m a full time student and I work full time, so it’s kind of just easier to pay… than attempt to try and get out of paying.”
The U-Pass is a city-wide bus pass for U of R students that is included in each semester’s tuition. The U-Pass can also be used for Paratransit services by registered Paratransit users.
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While the U-Pass gives students who rely on public transit a great deal on bus rides, many pass-holders aren’t sure why it’s mandatory.
In comparison, a 31-day adult bus pass for a non-student is $88.00. According to the URSU website, “Students who take at least 1 on-campus course are automatically enrolled in the program and must pay for the pass unless they are eligible to opt-out.”
In order to opt-out, a student must live within the U-Pass opt-out zone. The opt-out zone is within what the URSU determines to be walking distance of the school or outside of the city limits. Opt-out can be requested for students that live in an area not effectively serviced by public transit but this is up to the URSU’s discretion.
Tania Millen, currently pursuing her master’s in journalism, tried to op-out of the program.
“I’m new to Regina,” said Millen. “I don’t know how the buses work, and I drive. I actually don’t need to go to the university very often.”
She argued that she was too close to the city limits for the U-Pass to be useful.
“I told them I lived right at the… boundary of the city cause if you’re outside the boundary you can opt-out, and I thought maybe if you’re close enough. That didn’t work. I told them I have a vehicle… that didn’t work. I said ‘I’m never there because everything’s on Zoom,’ that didn’t work… I paid for a bus pass for a whole semester and I’ve never been on a bus.”
Most students are automatically enrolled in the U-Pass program. Among those not automatically enrolled are students who are only enrolled in online courses, nursing students with only off-campus practicum and students in a co-op program work term with no on-campus courses.
According to the URSU website, the U-Pass cannot be claimed on an income tax return. The Federal government removed this tax credit in 2018.
