GRT hikes prices up by seven per cent

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(Infographic by Lena Yang)
(Infographic by Lena Yang)

Upcoming changes to bus fees at the Grand River Transit (GRT) have concerned student representatives from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University whom have bus pass partnerships with the transit service.

A seven per cent bus fare increase has been proposed by GRT, which plans to raise bus fees for the general riding public.

However, this fee will also apply to the U-pass collaboration between GRT and the two universities. The program allows students unlimited access to the transit system but is charged through their tuition.

The proposed increase would take the price from $72.73 per semester to $77.29.

And student organizations are not happy.

โ€œWe take these things very seriously,โ€ said Adam Garcia, the vice president of education at the University of Waterloo Federation of Students. โ€œThese increases are well beyond a studentโ€™s ability to afford it.โ€

Garcia, as well as Stephen Franchetto, the vice president of university affairs at the Wilfrid Laurier University Studentsโ€™ Union, brought their concerns to regional council, asking for fares to stay constant with the Consumer Price Index.

โ€œIf thatโ€™s not met weโ€™re going to have to have a conversation internally with our execs and our board of directors about whether or not to put the fee to a referendum of our students and make them have the final decision,โ€ Garcia said.

According to John Cicuttin, the director of transportation planning for GRT, the U-pass program makes up about 27 per cent of the GRTโ€™s ridership.

โ€œThat generates around 20 per cent of our revenue,โ€ he said.

He defended the seven per cent price hike by reflecting on large service improvements that took place in September.

This included a new iExpress 202 route targeted towards student commuters.

โ€œWe get more out of the system than revenue,โ€ Cicuttin said. โ€œIt gives [students] an opportunity to select housing further away from campus and itโ€™s used for entertainment, jobs, shopping and convenience.โ€

Garcia disagrees. He argues that not all students make use of the service.

โ€œWe might be about a quarter of the ridership, but that doesnโ€™t really give any indication of how many students actually use the service,โ€ he said. โ€œWe look at it from the perspective of the student who is not using the bus at all.โ€

Back in 2006 when the U-pass program was created at WLU Franchetto said that students were charged roughly $42.50 per semester.

โ€œWeโ€™ve seen an increase of about ย 17 dollars in the past three years,โ€ Garcia added. โ€œThatโ€™s really concerning.โ€

Franchetto told The Cord that Laurier conducted its own survey in December, asking students their modes of transportation.

โ€œOnly about 20 per cent of [Laurier] students consider themselves a daily user of the GRT,โ€ he said. โ€œFor a lot of students this deal just doesnโ€™t make sense.โ€

Franchetto also said that WLUSU was in a โ€œsignaling year,โ€ where contracts were only being looked at.

He hopes that WLUSU and GRT can be transparent with each other.

โ€œI donโ€™t think the intent right now is to walk away,โ€ he said. โ€œNext year we will be in a better position to renegotiate.โ€

The U-pass agreement with the student associations expires August of 2015. Regional council is scheduled to approve the budget on Jan. 15 and will notify student partners as to what will take affect for the September term.

โ€œWhat weโ€™re seeing is a ballooning increase each year,โ€ Franchetto concluded. โ€œAnd I just want students to be informed.โ€


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