UPass credited with one-third increase in west-side transit ridership
LETHBRIDGE – Transit usage by University of Lethbridge students is exceeding expectations following the implementation of UPass.
Transit manager Kevin Ponech said tentative figures show ridership on west-side transit routes is up 34 per cent, describing it as “very positive.”
“It seemed to go up right after we implemented UPass, so that’s why we’re kind of connecting the dots right now and it is from the university, influx from the students using the transit system now,” Ponech told LethbridgeNewsNOW in an interview.
This is the first year for UPass, which assesses each undergraduate student a $77 charge plus a $5 administration fee in exchange for a transit pass good for the semester. The cost works out to four months for the price of one.