Algonquin College students vote in favour of U-Pass

Algonquin College students have voted in favour of a U-Pass program that will give every student at the school a discounted transit pass.

About 40 per cent of the student population took part in the week-long online referendum, and about 83 per cent of them voted in favour of the U-Pass, the college announced on Friday.

About 16,000 students are eligible for the Algonquin U-Pass, valued at up to $199, and the program is expected to be fully implemented by September 2015, though itstill needs final approval from city council inearly 2015.

The U-Pass is for full-time students, has no age restrictionand is valid on OC Transpo buses and trains, STO buses, and Para Transpo service in the urban area.

Students who live outside OC Transpos service area can choose to optout of the program, which will be overseen bycollege staff and the Algonquin Students Association.

OC Transpo put an age limit on student bus passes in 2012, which forcedsome Algonquin students to pay the adult price.

There are already U-Pass programs at the University of Ottawa, Saint Paul University and Carleton University.