For an average of $10 a month during the 2008-2009 school year, students, faculty and staff at Brigham Young University will be able to take advantage of UTA’s Premium Express monthly pass, which normally costs riders $160 per month.
“We are pleased that we can continue to offer members of our campus community a UTA bus pass at an extremely discounted rate,” said Student Life Vice President Jan Scharman. “Given the rise in fuel costs, which have significantly increased operating costs for UTA, we are particularly glad that we were able to negotiate a contract with UTA that allows us to provide annual bus passes at a very reasonable rate.”
Despite a rise in price from last year, Scharman said, BYU wanted to continue to support the UTA Ed-Pass program. “We hope many of our students, faculty and staff will take advantage of this program and ride the bus, not just to campus but around town as well. An added benefit of this particular pass is that students have access to the Express buses, TRAX and FrontRunner. Using this pass, our students could ride the bus from Payson to Ogden.”
The 2008-2009 UTA bus pass (Ed Pass) will be available starting in mid-August. The cost is $120 if purchased during Fall Semester 2008, $90 if purchased during Winter Semester 2009 and $60 if purchased during Spring and Summer Terms 2009.
Additionally, UTA has warned its riders that if fuel prices continue to rise, it will need to add surcharges. BYU’s prices for 2008-2009 will not change, however, nor will Ed-Pass holders be assessed an additional surcharge.
In today’s market, BYU’s Ed Pass is a true bargain, Scharman said. “However, even more importantly, participation in this program helps our environment. Many of our students, faculty and staff go out of their way to ride the bus, even when it adds a little extra time to their travel, to help reduce the pollution in our valley.”
In addition to riding the bus, BYU is encouraging its students to walk or bike more often.
To register for the Ed Pass, log on to Route Y from the BYU home page, select the “UTA Bus Pass” option and follow the directions. After registration, applicants can pick up the pass at One Stop, the ID Center, the Information Desk or the Benefits Office.
Writer: Alexis Plowman
