The Provincial government has made the hugely popular U-Pass program available to all public, post-secondary institutions in BC. This program launches at UBC in fall 2011.
While the new U-Pass BC program will continue to provide lower transit fares across all zones for all eligible members of UBC’s Alma Mater Society, there are five important changes for UBC students.
1. Each month, you will need a new pass.
Passes will no longer be valid for one term, but rather from the first to the last day of each month.
2. You will not be mailed a pass.
New program conditions require the passes to be distributed on-site. UBC will not mail passes to you.
3. Every month, you must pick up your pass at UBC Central (formerly UBC Bookstore).
Pick up your pass at the Carding Office located inside the store. Twenty vending machines have been installed to read your UBCcard and then issue a monthly U-Pass.
Starting on the 16th of each month, you can pick up passes for the following month. For example, machines will begin distributing passes for October 2011 from September 16 onwards.
4. Your pass will not include your name or photo so you will always need to carry your UBCcard with you.
The new cards are similar to the standard monthly passes issued by TransLink. The passes are not transferable; when asked by TransLink representatives, you must be able to produce your UBCcard and U-Pass when riding public transit.
5. Your pass costs $30 per month as approved by student referendum.
The cost of U-Pass BC has increased to $30/month. The price increase was overwhelmingly approved through the 2011 AMS Referendum.
Get Your Pass Early
To avoid long line-ups at the start of term, please come early to pick up your U-Pass. You can get your U-Pass for September starting on Thursday, August 25, 2011.
Stay Informed
Please see Frequently Asked Questions for details.
When the fall term starts you can follow UBC Central on Twitter or the UBC Bookstore on Facebook, for real-time updates on the length of the line and other important updates about pass pick-up.
For more information please contact upassbc.info@ubc.ca
