Algonquin College
Jesse Mellot | Fulcrum Staff
Photograph by Mico Mazza
THIS PAST AUGUST, OC Transpo initiated an age cap disqualifying all students over the age of 19 from purchasing student bus passes, forcing them to buy adult bus passes. The adult passes cost $96.25 per month, a $19.50 increase from the student passes, which are sold for $76.75 a month.
Recently, the Algonquin Students’ Association (ASA) started running ads that criticized OC Transpo for these changes. The ads were part of a campaign entitled “Age Does not Define a Student,” funded by the ASA. The Facebook page created by the ASA features a profile photo of the campaign with the caption, “Keep fares fair: OC Transpo ended student rates for anyone over 19.”
ASA President David Corson said the ads were created in part due to these increased fare rates for students.
“First thing we want to do is advise people and make them educated [on the issue],” said Corson. “We want to let people know the situation. There are four reasons why you do advertising, and this one was to advise the public and our students that there is a problem … We would like that age cap removed for as long as possible to benefit the other schools as well.”
OC Transpo representatives were unavailable for comment.
Corson said he would like to see Algonquin students have the same access U of O students have to OC Transpo.
“Forty per cent of our students are bus riders,” said Corson. “Anything we do has to benefit all students, not just this select group or that select group. We are looking at a solution that is fair to all students. If they are bus takers, they [should] at least get a reasonable fare.”
Algonquin College, unlike Carleton University or the U of O, is not a part of the U-Pass agreement with OC Transpo, so students must get their bus pass directly from OC Transpo.
