U-PASS : Get in the know
Well, the recent U-Pass town hall has been getting a lot of coverage. Mainstream blogs have been covering the proposal where U of T (St George) students would pay a flat rate along with their regular student fees (an extra $480) for open reign on the TTC during the school months. Torontoist writer Jonathan Goldsbie concluded his original piece as pro-U-Pass, as the comment section filled Goldsbie declared:
I have to say that my already-wavering opinion has been turned around, and that I’ll likely vote against the U-Pass in the referendum. And I figure that if they managed to lose me, it’s unlikely that it’ll pass.
(Read full comment) That being said, Goldsbie’s opinion is hardly a deal-maker/breaker in any situation. In his article he cites the Spacing Wire post ‘The Case for Toronto’s U-Pass‘ which is interesting especially for it’s look at other (not UofT) universities’ perspective on the U-Pass issue. The article, somewhat deceptively, refers to the pass’ cost in monthly terms ($60/month). The comment section is relatively intelligible andlooks at other transit deals at Canadian universities. On the last note, remember Toronto’s transit system is quite different, financially and service-wise, than Vancouver, Halifax and Calgary. I must admit I haven’t been able to find out much about Montreal student-transit deals though it seems the STM (Montreal’s TTC) offers students a discounted ‘Metropass’ if they are younger than 25.
Askastudent has come out in favour, though they are somewhat misinformed about the actual cost of for students. But you don’t care.
That being said, these articles may help you make an informed decision, or push you to ask the right questions. This will be put to a referendum and, unlike in the Student Centre debacle, you want to be able to say ‘I voted – and voted smart’.
In hypothetical world where you do have a U-PASS you may be interested in:
Tags: not US election 2008, TTC
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