Students living in Quebec lose out on transit discount

It took years of student lobbying, referendums and city hall debates, but a new discount transit pass pilot program for university students is finally rolling along in Ottawa.

That is, unless you are a student commuting to the city from the Quebec side of the Ottawa River.

OC Transpo'snew U-Pass offers students at the University of Ottawa and Carleton unlimited bus travel for about $290 per academic year. That's about $360 less than a normal student pass.

Two weeks into the program, more than 23,000 passes have been sold at the University of Ottawa alone. That number would be even higher were it not for a restriction that prohibits students who live in Quebec from buying the pass.

Anna Maria Bulla takes an OC Transpo bus to the University of Ottawa every day. But when she went to buy her new U-Pass last week, she was turned away, because she lives in Gatineau.

That's because Gatineau is under the jurisdiction of a separate transit agency, the Socit de transport de l'Outaouais (STO), which has not signed on to the U-Pass program.

"Why should students who made the decision to live across the river whether to be surrounded by their own language or save some money on rent be told they can't have another money-saving measure?" said Bulla.

"That left me in a position that either I have to find [the money for the pass], buy a car or use bus tickets. Basically, I can afford my rent, tuition, and that's about it."

Bulla isn't alone. Two Facebook groups opposing the restrictionhave popped up online with a few dozen members, and student associations at both universities say they've received hundreds of complaints.

"They have voiced the fact that they are disappointed with the fact that they're not a part of the U-Pass program," said Anne Marie Roy, of the Student Federation at the University of Ottawa. "Let's be honest, the majority of students coming from Gatineau have to use public transportation to come to school."

A spokesperson for STO said the deal was too expensive for the transit agency and that STO already offersits owndiscount pass for students under the age of 21.

In the meantime, some students have found their own solutions.Bulla switched her listed address back to her parents' home near Niagara Falls, so she's now eligible to buy a U-Pass.

But university officials warn that anyone caught lying about their address could face academic or even criminal penalties.

Meanwhile, students say they'll try again to get the STO to join the program when the pilot project comes up for review next summer.