12/16/08

metro passes (caroline, jonah, stephanie)

Metro pass information:
buy a Metro pass from the 24th day of the prior month until the fourth working day of the month .Students: Is only valid with a TTC Student Discount Card Photo ID.
Monthly Metropass regular price: $109.00 ( anyone that does not fit into the student or senior)
Monthly Metropass student/senior price: $91.2 ( for students from the age of 13-19)
Student pass has to have a photo ID card to accompany it at all times.
Post-secondary school students (university or college) may not use the card.
To get the card is a huge process to get it.
Talk to Student Union:
They send out an email to make people aware that you can sign up to get next months metro pass.
Students either:
sign up in the front lobby in the main building for 2 hours students come and bring exact change for their ticket.Students go to student union with exact change.
Another email is sent out when the bus passes arrive for the people that have ordered them may go pick them up and if there is extra then it is first come first serve.
The union orders 118 passes for the entire school, if more is needed then they order more. (not a lot)They offer the card for 98$ instead of 109$. Students save 11$.
Problems with the Metro Pass after talking to the Student Union:
The OCAD solution is the best solution for university students. The TTC is not university student friendly, It offers to younger students in high school.
Younger students that can get the discount card have to go throw a very long process to get the Photo ID discount card. If they have this card they can get the metro pass for 91.50$.
In Montreal there are 2 discount cards offered. For students under 18 years old and then and intermediate for students from 18-25.
The STM comes to your school at the beginning of the year for a few days to take pictures and you get your card right away.
If you miss this day you have to have a letter from your school and go to Berri-uqam metro station and they give you the card right away.
How to improve the Student metro pass at OCAD:
Issues
The TTC does not offer university students a reduced bus/metro pass.
OCAD offers a reduced metro pass that students can purchase throw the school for 98$ instead of 109$.
This is the best offer that a university student in Toronto can get.
Solution
Make OCAD students more aware of the reduced bus that the school has because most students do not open this email.
Create posters and instead of only selling the pass for 2 hours in the month having the sign up during events that the school is having.
On a large scale if OCAD teamed up with other Toronto universities and try to get the TTC to create an intermediate pass like in Montreal. The metro pass should be the same as high school students. University students pay for the pass themselves.
The process for a student to get the card should be less complicated and improved from what it is now for high school students.
( we also created 2 posters but they blogger is not able to up load them.)

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