UPEI students to vote on U-Pass

Students at the University of Prince Edward Island will vote in a referendum next month on whether to continue to pay for a bus pass as part of their student fees.

For the past two years, all students paid $25 per semester to have unlimited access to the Charlottetown area bus system. Now, the two-year pilot program with Trius Tours, operators of Charlottetown Transit,  is ending.

But, some students living in communities not served by transit question why they should pay for a U-pass.

Rob Livingstone, president of the UPEI student union president, said it's causing some debate on campus.

"It will be up for a vote kind of to see if students want to keep on continuing with a U-pass as provided by Trius in the years to come," he said.

Trius officials said the number of student riders using the service continues to grow.

The referendum will take place during the upcoming student union election on Oct. 5 and 6.

Ten per cent of the student body must vote in order for the results of the referendum to be binding. There are about 4,000 students enrolled at the university.

Meanwhile, there may be an added incentive for students to vote in favour of keeping the U-Pass. Trius has just added two late night bus runs from the university on Friday and Saturday nights to give students even more access.

The new runs are on a three-month trial basis.

Some students complained last week that there aren't enough parking spaces at the university. The university campus has about 1,200 parking spaces, which are available to students and staff who purchase permits to use them.