The School Bus Pass – Reasons Why There Are A Lot Of Arguments Because Of Them

Last week I had written about how much money it was plausible to save by taking public transportation. After that, I have came to the realization that there are a many completely different options for student bus passes across the country. The example I used of the pass in Winnipeg turned out to be close to average, so that’s good as far as the comparison proceeded to go; however, soon after considering the various options across Canada I thought it could be helpful to make note of the differences.

Probably the most debatable component of student bus passes in Canada is the capability of a majority of university students on some campuses to make the passes mandatory. Universities such as the University of Ottawa, the University of Victoria, Saint Mary’s University, and the University of Western Ontario have organised student referendums where students decided to add bus passes together with their overall tuition and student user fees. At Ottawa this lead to a law suit by 9 students against the University because they felt discriminated against.

Naturally this scenario has some positives and disadvantages. The really low cost of public transportation for those that use it is an undeniable incentive. For those campuses the rate was reduced to approximately a hundred dollars flat for the year! This is probably because of the improved volume of sales. The fact that students are made to get passes would also improve the overall usage rates. This has good spin-off environmental effects, along with the previously mentioned financial ones.

Myself personally, the negative aspects are far more prevalent to me. During my time at the University of Manitoba there was a referendum on whether to put together a required package for public transportation to be supported by all students. I simply just can’t get past the fact that it should not be considered realistic for a negligible majority of students to trample the rights of a large minority and take money out of their wallets to subsidize their preferred form of transportation. If I remember correctly, there was currently a percentage of the money used from parking service fees to help counteract student bus pass costs. This is still a tough sell for me regardless of the environmental benefits. Naturally as a vehicle owner I am definitely bias.

My personal distaste for particular aspects of public transportation is very likely a result of the Winnipeg pubic transit system. It doesn’t matter how much money I was saving I couldn’t rationalize the consistent waste of time. The schedules were hardly ever correct, the constant rudeness of passengers, and the terrible weather aspect of life in Winnipeg, was more than enough to encourage me to get my own vehicle.

In the instance that I had went to school in British Columbia I may have a very different perspective of student bus passes. After a comment from a local pertaining to her public transportation experience, I looked into the Vancouver area possible choices. I was impressed by the wonderful deal they got and the fact it was not subsidized by other students (this means it doesn’t penalize the students that walk, bike, or drive to school). The U-Pass (universal pass) is available to post-secondary students for the low price of $30 per month. The really great part of the deal is that this doesn’t just cover the bus, but the Seabus and SkyTrain services as well! With such a thorough variety of options I would assume there is quite a bit of success with the program presently there.

In comparison, Winnipeg charges over $70 monthly for its substandard patchwork of buses. Other monthly public transportation rates for students include $89 for a metro pass in Toronto, $41 in Montreal for a merged metro and bus pass, $71 for a student bus pass in Saskatoon, and Calgary didn’t even have a student rate from the information I have been able to see on their site. The basic adult rate there for a month-to-month bus pass is $90.

One other thing people (not just students) who use bus passes should be advised of is the non-refundable tax credit available. For some people you can find a pretty good idea of how much money you should get back on your taxes by multiplying the yearly cost of your bus passes by .15 (15%). This is a great little bonus incentive for those of you who are already financially and environmentally mindful enough to use public transportation.

Student Bus Passes are an excellent method for saving money when attending school. Cheap student public transportation is important to any university interested in make a subsidised service to their students.