TTC gives into students’ demands for special passes but on one condition.

The student community of Toronto woke up to an amazing news a few days ago when Toronto Transport Commission agreed to offer cheaper Universal passes (U-Pass) to college students.

The student unions from major universities in the city have been fighting for these special passes for a long time. But it looks like their fight is not over yet as TTC will approve student passes only if University of Toronto, Ryerson University, OCAD University and George Brown College agree to a 4-year deal with the agency.

The special U-Pass for students will cost just $70 a month and would allow unlimited travel time across the city through subways, buses, and streetcars. The special U-pass will make traveling much cheaper for students as it is less than half the price of an adult monthly pass and considerably lesser than the cost of a post-secondary student’s pass.

If all the four major universities agree for the 4-years tie-up with TTC, considering there are 4 months in each semester, then $280 will be added to the semester fees of each and every student. While a survey suggests than 95% of students are in the favor of cheaper student pass, this added mandatory expense of $280 each semester is not welcomed by students who live near universities and don’t use TTC transport.

Talking about the U-Pass, a student said, “While I love this, it’s also not fair that students aren’t able to opt out of U-Pass. Hundreds of students live closer to campus so they don’t have to pay for transit. Not to mention not everyone who commutes uses the TTC”.

TTC Board’s spokesperson, Brad Ross, took to Twitter to inform about the referendum to be held at the University of Toronto next week. These referendums will be subsequently held at other universities as well.

Till the results of these referendums are out, the future of U-Pass hangs in balance. Let’s keep our fingers crossed!