UW students will be able to pay for the bus with their Watcards, if a proposal from University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University is implemented. The universities have proposed a student-card swipe system on Grand River Transit buses.

UW Director of Business Operations Bud Walker described it as “more user-pay oriented” than the previously proposed U-Pass. “It’s a combination of complete user pay system and elements of a universal bus pass system.”

In order to provide this service, a swipe card unit would need to be installed in each bus.

The proposal suggests that a transit rider who uses his or her card would receive a 35 cent discount per ride every forty rides. So starting at the student rate of $1.40, rides would be free after 160 rides and $140. This figure is close to the $136 cost of a three-month student bus pass.

GRT still has to agree on how fees work and the implementation.

"We're going to meet this fall in September to determine if there's some way we can do the short term thing in a financially viable way," Walker said. He said that in the long term he expects that GRT will get debit card systems.

The estimated cost of the system is $100,000 per year over five years. How it will be funded hasn't been determined, but possibilities include funding by GRT from increased ridership, from the universities or through a fee from university students. The estimated cost works out to $1.50 per term for students at both universities.

• Edey proposes delinking U-Pass and 75 metre restriction 6 Jun 2003
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• Region transportation planner discusses potential U-Pass 6 Aug 2002
• Less than a majority favour UPASS: GRT survey 25 Jul 2002