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Fate of U of G's universal bus pass unclear under province's changes to student fees

The city receives about $7 million annually from U of G and Conestoga College students through the universal bus pass
20180815 guelph transit ts
Tony Saxon/GuelphToday file photo

The city of Guelph is closely watching proposed legislation which could allow post-secondary students to opt out of student fees for services that are deemed non essential, which may affect millions of dollars paid to the city for bus passes.

On Thursday, the Ontario government announced its intention to lower post-secondary tuition by 10 per cent and to allow students to opt out of non-essential student fees, money that goes toward things like clubs and student newspapers.

It’s up to each institution to determine which services presently covered by student fees are essential, said Jack Fisher, president of the Central Student Association.

“We think the bus pass will probably be deemed essential,” said Fisher.

Currently, most undergrads at the U of G pay $233 in student fees per semester.

The CSA and Guelph Transit are part way through a five-year agreement to provide subsidized bus passes to every U of G student, paid through student fees each semester.

It is unclear if the bus passes will be affected by the proposed legislation.

The city brings in more than $7 million a year through the U-Pass program, in which every post-secondary student at U of G and Conestoga College is given a pass to travel on Guelph Transit buses.

The program was negotiated between the city of Guelph, Guelph Transit and the student unions from both post-secondary institutions. The cost of the U-Pass is roughly one-third the cost of an adult transit pass.

All full-time undergraduate students at the U of G have been required to pay for the universal bus pass since 1995. Graduate students came on board in 2000.

If student fees no longer cover bus passes, it has a potential to be a substantial cut to the city budget, said Colleen Clack, deputy CAO for the city of Guelph.

If students have the option of opting out, the city would have to examine it in terms of what it means for revenue and also what it means in terms of students using Guelph Transit. 

“If we have fewer students who opt in and therefore fewer students using the buses, that may affect routes and schedules,” said Clack. “But that’s way down the road. At this point we need to simply absorb what the potential legislation says, work with the university and report back to council.”

A large number of students would still use city transit, whether or not a pass was part of the fees they pay, said Clack. 

“So it stands to reason that many will choose to continue purchasing the pass,” she said.

The university is waiting for more information from the ministry about the proposed legislation, said Carrie Chassels, vice-provost student affairs at U of G, in an emailed statement.

“Without the benefit of framework guidelines, we aren’t able to fairly and accurately project the impact of any changes to existing student ancillary fees, including those fees that are collected on behalf of the student associations to fund student-led activities,” said Chassels.

Fisher said the announcements made last Thursday have added to the unpredictability students have been facing since the Ontario PC party took office in the summer.

He wonders why the government would make the announcements in January instead of waiting until the end of the school year in May.

“I think the response is going to be a lot more now in January than it would be if they had waited until the summer time. Nobody is winning,” said Fisher.


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Kenneth Armstrong

About the Author: Kenneth Armstrong

Kenneth Armstrong is a news reporter and photojournalist who regularly covers municipal government, business and politics and photographs events, sports and features.
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