The Student Council has reversed its recent decision to eliminate funding for UTA bus passes from next year’s student fees.
In a meeting on March 24, the Council voted unanimously to reinstate the $6.88 fee based on a proposal worked out by Vice President of Finance and Administration Val Peterson with UTA in recent weeks.
Under the proposed plan, which has not yet been officially accepted by either party, passes would be available to any student who wished to purchase one for a cost of $120, six times the current cost of $20.
This is far less than the cost would be without the new deal. According to Petersen, without this proposed agreement, a premium pass, which allows students to ride local and express busses as well as TRAX, would cost approximately $900 for two semesters, a cost many students may not take on.
UVU currently has 5892 students with passes, and Peterson said that UVU has more riders than any other school in Utah.
The reinstatement of the fee could be provisional and subject to a decision by the Board of Trustees. This means that if the deal doesn’t pan out, it is still possible that the council could once again remove the fee and the cheaper price.
The $120 pass would last for a full year, and there would also be an option to purchase a semester pass for only $65.
Peterson said that the proposed agreement is similar to the one that BYU already has with UTA.
