A guarantee by the provincial government to cover potential liability means the University Pass program is moving ahead in the Lower Mainland.
The Canadian Federation of Students said Thursday that Emily Carr University is the latest school to get the low-cost transit pass after 98 per cent of students that voted chose to go for the pass, which becomes a part of all students’ fees.
The turnout for the vote was 60 per cent of the school, 1,091 students.
Nimmi Takkar of the CFS said the key was the decision by Transportation Minister Shirley Bond to have the province cover the cost of passes handed out to students who subsequently left school.
Takkar said the liability for such students at the University of B.C. alone could be as high as $1 million.
Neither the schools involved nor TransLink were willing to pick up the liability cost.
“Today’s announcement could not have happened without [Bond’s] support,” said Takkar.
Vancouver Community College students will vote Monday on the U-Pass, while a date for the vote at Douglas College is to be announced in the next few days.
The U-Pass was an election promise by Premier Gordon Campbell, who announced in June the $30 pass would be made available province-wide.
In the Lower Mainland, the pass gives students the ability to ride TransLink service through three zones for $30 monthly, compared to regular monthly passes ranging from $81 to $151.
The expanded program was funded for three years with $20 million from the provincial government.
UBC, Simon Fraser University, Capilano University and Langara College already have the U-Pass. UBC and SFU, the original two schools in the program, charge even less – $23.75 monthly at UBC and $26.08 at SFU.
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