Universal transit before Universal Pass

By Joanna Farley

The beloved U-Pass has once again reared its ugly head. If passed in an upcoming referendum, the U-Pass will cost every student at this school about $50 a semester-no opt-outs allowed. In all its wisdom, the U-Pass is supposed to make it cheaper for students to ride Calgary Transit.

In truth, it will only make Calgary Transit more money while providing the same pathetic service.

Over the past few years, transit’s quality of service has become worse and worse, while its prices have climbed higher and higher. Since

I started university, I have gone

from paying $43 a month in transportation costs to $50. In return,

I have watched “improved services” change my bus route, move the bus stop over four icy blocks away, allow me to enjoy the great outdoors

while waiting in –20 C weather for rush-hour buses that never show up and then only come once an hour after 7 p.m.

As a student desperately wishing for a car, I’d love a discount on my bus pass. I’d use the savings to take a taxi home from the train station on days when I stay late at school, or to buy a better coat so I don’t get frostbite waiting for nearly non-existent morning buses.

However, I see no reason why people who live on campus or those who own cars should have to foot the bill along with me. Sure, having someone to talk to at the bus stop keeps my face from freezing, but I have no wish for the subject to be a rant about the mandatory levy to support unreliable services. When city transit is a service no one actually wants to use, I have a hard time believing that people will stop driving and take buses that may not get them to school simply because it will cost less.

Students’ Union Vice-president Operations and Finance Natasha Dhillon says that the U-Pass must be mandatory because otherwise City Transit will need to raise its fare to turn a profit. A note to Ms. Dhillon: as a pissed-off transit user, that is just fine with me. In a world where my tuition, books, and every other expense goes up yearly,

I would eagerly accept any savings on my monthly transit pass. Hell, I’d even be willing to pay the same amount, if only the service would actually improve for a change.

So let that U-Pass cost me $100 or even $150 a semester. I’ll still be saving money, and so will my fellow students. If I’m really lucky, maybe one of them will give me a ride to class one day. We’ll discuss my new winter coat, the tank of gas they brought and the fact that my $150 per semester bus pass hasn’t made me miss more than one class this week.

Feedback on this article can be sent to opinions@gauntlet.ucalgary.ca.