1. College Student Transit Pass Programs
Zihao Jin, Dahai Han, Weijie Tan

2. Introduction different funding fare and operating structures
Many transit agencies currently have student pass programs with colleges and universities.
different funding
U-Pass program
fare and operating structures
student demographics
The concept of fare-free public transit has been considered and implemented in the United States since at least the 1960s.
U-Pass is perhaps the fastest growing type of fare-free service because of the large numbers of students and staff who usually brings huge traffic demand and parking problems

3. What is a U-Pass? provides unlimited usage of buses
College Student Transit Pass Program, known as a U-Pass or unlimited access program.
provides unlimited usage of buses
by certain transit service providers
Faculty and staff are also covered in some cases.
for all students enrolled at the college

4. survey
Objects : 27 agencies 31 institutions Respondents: 20 agencies 21 institutions
The agencies responding to the survey serve populations ranging from 45,688 in Stillwater, OK, to 12,150,996 Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA in across the North American.
The institutions are about equally divided as four enrollment categories:
no more than 20,000 students institutions
20,001 to 30,000 students institutions
30,001 to 45,000 students institutions
45,001 or more students institutions

5. Survey
Results :
The final scope of the cross sectional survey results answered following questions:
Project characteristics
Attitudes of institution, students and transit agency towards program
Impacts of program on institution, students and transit agency
Financial aspects of the program
Potential barriers to implementation

6. Results Example : Project characteristics
Primary Advocator/Initiator of the Program
FIGURE 1 THE LEAD ROLE IN THE DAY-TO-DAY MANAGEMENT (RESLUTS FROM AGENCIES)
FIGURE 2 THE LEAD ROLE IN THE DAY-TO-DAY MANAGEMENT (RESLUTS FROM INSTITUTIONS)

7. Benefits OF U-PASS To the agency To the Institution
Provides a stable source of income( U-Pass revenues )
Higher ridership especially in poor-performing period
Maximize the use of buses
Develops life-long habits for students to take transit
To the Institution
Reduces existing and unmet parking demand
Reduces future growth in parking demand
Enables use of land for buildings or green space
Increases “town-gown” integration

8. Benefits OF U-PASS To Students To the Community
Reduced or free access to transit
Rewards existing riders, attracts new ones
Improved transit services designed to meet student needs
Easier for students in residence to explore the area
To the Community
Reduces traffic congestion
Increases transit ridership
Less illegal parking in residential areas around campus
Increases transit frequency within the area

9. Contribution
Reflects the relationship established between agencies and universities.
Documents current state of the practice.
Provides examples to universities and transit agencies for reference

10. Future research Organizing and analyzing the survey results.
Five pairs of institution and transit agency from 7 candidates below will be selected to conduct case study.
Transit System
Institution
Washington, D.C.
Washington DC Metro
American University
Los Angeles, CA
LA Metro
University of California at LA
Seattle, WA
King County Metro Transit
University of Washington at Seattle
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee County Transit System
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee
Austin, TX
Capital Metro
University of Texas-Austin
Blacksburg, VA
Blacksburg Transit
Virginia Tech University
Stillwater, OK
OSU-Stillwater Community Transit
Oklahoma State University