Web Extra: Will students be paying more for transit this fall?
While some university and college transit operators have been able to continue offering fare-free transit service to students, other systems, faced with operation cost increases, have had to raise transit pass prices.
The Chicago Transit Authority, which services DePaul University, has raised fares for undergraduate and graduate students by $8.75 per quarter, and for College of Law students by $6.00 per semester.
[IMAGE]DePaulLPC-Campus-Shots-April-2009-002-August-22-Roundup-2.jpg[/IMAGE] As students return to colleges and universities across the U.S. for the fall semester, some schools with transit systems that charge students fares have had to make some changes in price to accommodate increases in operation costs, while others have been able to continue offering free service. We asked a few operators about their fares and any changes they have made.
Here are their responses:
"Undergraduate and graduate students pay $79.75 per quarter, up from $71 last year. College of Law students pay $106.00 per semester, up from $100 last year."
John Holden, spokesman
DePaul University
Chicago, Ill.
"In Victoria, BC Transit sets the bus fares. All our students pay $152 for a U-Pass which provides them with unlimited bus transportation within the Greater Victoria area for the academic year. This fee went up slightly from $138.50 last year."
Patty Pitts, manager, media relations
University of Victoria
Victoria, B.C.
[IMAGE]UKYAugust22Roundup-2.jpg[/IMAGE] "We have not instituted any fare changes, as all of our campus buses are free. However, one change we have implemented is the addition of a real-time GPS-based bus locating system. Our system is called “Cat Tracker” and is powered by TransLoc. The buses can be tracked at http://uky.transloc.com, via free Transloc iPhone and Android apps, by using a smart phone to scan the QR codes found on each bus stop sign or by using SMS codes found at each bus stop."
Chrissie Balding Tune
marketing/promotions specialist senior
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Ky.
[IMAGE]UARK-Union-Station-Aug-22-Roundup-2.jpg[/IMAGE] "Razorback is still able to provide transit service for the University and the City of Fayetteville without increasing student fees or charging a fare this year. We rely on federal assistance, a state rental car tax and assistance from the City of Fayetteville to compliment student fees."
Mike Seither, associate director for transit and parking
Razorback Transit
Fayetteville, Ark.
[IMAGE]CornellCampusAugust222011RoundupEDIT-2.jpg[/IMAGE] "At present, we have not had to make changes in fares for the [schools] we serve: Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College."
Patty Poist, communications and marketing manager
Tompkins Area Consolidated Transit Inc.
Ithaca, N.Y.
Post a Comment: Tell us about your school's fare plans for the upcoming school year.
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