City council will be asked at tonight’s meeting for approval to enter into a 8-month pilot providing transit service for a flat fee for students with both post secondary schools.
Both Algoma University and Sault College have indicated that they would be interested in a Universal Pass concept.
The idea is to provide the service as part of their student fee and the agreement will also need the approvals of both Student Associations.
City staff is recommending a U-Pass monthly rate of 15 dollars.
A report to council for Monday’s meeting explains that more than 585 post-secondary students utilized transit on a consistent basis in 2017.
It’s estimated if agreements are approved with both Algoma University and Sault College, they could generate approximately 420-thousand dollars in revenue—-that’s an increase of more than 223-thousand dollars compared to the revenue generated in 2017.
Such a program already exists in Sudbury, Guelph and Halifax and Sudbury is looking to expand the program further.