January 30, 2020

Amid the housing crisis, the rising costs of tuition, and other expenses, students can rejoice over today’s announcement: the U-Pass BC program will be renewed until 2025, ensuring students at least another 5 years of affordable transportation options. Reliable transit is one of the top 5 priorities of SFU undergrads. Read the announcement below:

VANCOUVER, B.C., (Jan. 30, 2020) — Today, the provincial government announced the renewal of the Universal Transit Pass Agreement (U-Pass BC) between TransLink, post-secondary institutions, and student associations in B.C. The previous contract expired on December 31, 2019. This five-year agreement represents the longest timeframe for a U-Pass agreement, providing more stability for students who rely on the U-Pass program. The Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) supports this agreement that provides students with a discounted transit pass, currently priced at $41 per month, which is less than half the price of the current one-zone adult monthly
transit pass in Metro Vancouver.

“The SFSS is pleased that we will maintain the U-Pass program until at least 2025,” said Jasdeep Gill, SFSS VP External Relations. “Over 88% of our members regularly use public transportation to commute to class, and we are happy to continue offering this affordable option to them.”

Nearly 95 percent of SFU undergraduate students consider reliable TransLink services important or very important. SFU students have an average transit commute time of 95 minutes roundtrip, compared to the national average of just 50 minutes.

“Whether it’s getting to school, work or a medical appointment, having access to transit is a necessity,” said Katrina Chen, MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed. “I’m pleased to see the U-Pass program extended so that students can continue to get around safely and efficiently.”

Sustainable transportation, which includes public transit, walking, biking, and even carpooling, has been shown to have many benefits, including contributing less to pollution, reducing traffic congestion and accidents, improving health, and reducing stress. Investments in public transit in Metro Vancouver not only support sustainable development, but students’ academic futures and well-being.

In March 2019, the SFSS membership voted in favour of continuing the U-Pass at the following monthly rates:
January 1, 2020 – April 30, 2020 – $41.00
May 1, 2020 – April 30, 2021 – $42.50
May 1, 2021 – April 30, 2022 – $43.35
May 1, 2022 – April 30, 2023 – $44.20
May 1, 2023 – April 30, 2024 – $45.10
May 1, 2024 – April 30, 2025 – $46.00
May 1, 2025 onwards: annual increases of up to 2% per year rounded to the nearest $0.05

Read the full announcement here.
For more information on the SFSS U-Pass referendum question, click here.
To read the province’s announcement, click here.