The city has reimbursed University of Guelph students $1.188 million as a result of making transit free the past few months due to the pandemic.
The Central Student Association and Graduate Student Association were reimbursed for the portion of the winter semester (March 18 to April 30) in which Guelph Transit made riding buses free, said city deputy CAO Colleen Clack.
Students had already paid for their bus passes for the entire semester.
The Central Student Association reached out to the city and asked for the refund.
The student bus pass program (called the U-pass) usually brings in $3.5 million to city coffers for each of the fall and winter semesters.
All full-time undergraduate students at the U of G are required to pay around $150 a semester for a buss pass.
No decisions have yet been made on what will happen to the U-pass system this fall, given the unknown situation with students on campus.
“No decisions have been made yet - we will be bringing recommendations to city council at the July 15th meeting,” Clack said.
At a city council meeting June 17, Clack said the city might have to look at routes and service levels given the potential drop in ridership.
The U of G Central Student Association said on its website that students who paid for a winter bus pass and late night pass will be credited $55.22 on their fall bill.
Students who have graduated, are not returning in the fall, or would like to request the refund in advance of the fall semester due to extenuating circumstances can email [email protected] for a refund.
