Re: U-Pass Program Information Update and Outline of Next Steps - Letter to Alain Mercier

8/3/2019 Re: U-Pass Program Information Update and Outline of Next Steps - Letter to Alain Mercier

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Alain MercierGeneral ManagerTransit ServicesInfrastructure Services and Community SustainabilityCity of OttawaRe: U-Pass Program Information Update and Outline of Next Steps

October 31, 2011Graduate Student's

Association Dear Mr. Mercier,600 Unicentre Thank you for your response to Evaluating the Costs and Bene/its of the

Carleton University U-Pass Program: An Analysis. On behalf of the students' unions at1125 Colonel By Carleton University and the University of Ottawa, I note that your

Drive response does not fully address many of the issues presented in theOttawa ON K1S analysis we put forward. Most significantly, it does not contain the

5B6 detailed financial analysis that you committed to providing at themeeting of October 7.

tel (613) 520-6616fax (613) 520-3680 The issue of how revenue neutrality is determined has been frequently

[email protected] raised in meetings between OCTranspo and the students' unions overwww.gsacarleton.ca the course of the past year. Our desire to have clarity on this issue should

not be a surprise to anyone who has participated in these discussions.Below we would like to comment on several elements included in yourresponse to our analysis.Origin-Destination Survey and TransfersThe document we provided to you addressed concerns regarding whatappear to be significant errors in the calculation of lost revenue fromcash, ticket and O-train fares. Our concerns over these figures remain. Itneeds to be made very clear that our review of both the raw data and OCTranspo's analysis of the spring and fall 2010 student ridership surveyshas revealed what we believe are numerous other errors and falserepresentations. For Example:

OCTranspo's analysis confuses the two basic units of analysiswhen evaluating transit as a mode of transportation in bothsurveys. The two units of analysis are the individual studentrespondent and the trips taken. The analysis presented by OCTranspo repeatedly and mistakenly presents the number of tripswhen referring to number of students, hence outrageous figuresare presented (for instance, the claim that 98% of CarletonUniversity students are using public transit).

Numerous minor miscounting of number of trips taken andfrequency distributions.
mailto:[email protected]://www.gsacarleton.ca/http://www.gsacarleton.ca/mailto:[email protected]


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In the presentation of survey data, OCTranspo presents the dataas being weighted to match the demographic make-up of thestudent populations at both universities. In fact, no weighting isapplied to the actual analysis. Ultimately this may notsignificantly affect any outcomes but it raises addit ionalquestions as to the accuracy of the analysis conducted for OCTranspoand the amount of effort put into the analysis.

Given that OCTranspo's position on revenue neutrality is based almostexclusively on its analysis of these surveys, it is entirely reasonable for thestudents of both universities to expect their concerns over the accuracyof the data be addressed. It is also reasonable for the students to haveconcerns about the data to which they have not been granted accessdespite multiple requests.With regards to the use of transfers, it appears to us that your responserefers strictly to the use of transfers used in a single transit trip, such as atransfer between two buses or a bus and the O-train while travelling to adestination. However, the issue addressed in the students' unionsanalysis was the use of transfers on return or secondary trips takenwithin the period for which the transfer is a valid fare product. Asdetailed in our report, the possibility of the use of transfers for additionaltrips is omitted from OCTranspo's calculation.Ontario Gas TaxThe response provided to us verbally on October 7 and in the writtenresponse of October 24 indicated that ridership is only one variableincluded in the calculation of the gas tax funding received by the City ofOttawa. Admittedly, we have found it difficult to get detailed informationon the gas tax formula other than that which is contained in our report.However, all information we have received indicates that gas tax fundingis linked to ridership levels.It would be helpful if you could provide us with a more detailed accountof the gas tax revenue received by the City and applied to both operatingand capital budgets for the past five years.Actual and Projected Revenue and Effect of EnrolmentIn your response to our analysis you explicitly rule out enrolmentincreases as having any impact whatsoever on the revenue neutral priceof the U-Pass. However, you and other representatives of OC Transpohave previously indicated that increasing enrolment (and henceincreasing participation in the program) and annual increases wouldlower the revenue neutral price. We ask, simply, what has changed?Transit system capacity issuesIn your response to our analysis you state that "full-fare" users "may find


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themselves congested out of their preferred bus, which may instead carrymore deeply-discounted (U-Pass) customers." Discussions of the U-Passthat focus on individual riders fail to recognize that 100% of full timestudents are paying for a U-Pass regardless of whether they use transit.This is not the case for "full-fare" transit users.If full-fare transit users are finding the transit system congested, wesuggest this has more to do with the route optimization project and notthe U-Pass. Note that buses are most congested at peak hours andstudents' use of transit varies throughout the day. This is of particularsignificance given that since September 2011 the students' unions havebeen receiving a significant number of complaints with regard to transitservice. This level of frustration with transit service was not experiencedduring the first year of the program.Recommendat ionIn this section you indicate that the $180 U-Pass price is lower than thesemester prices of $300 (regular) and $352 (express). It is important tonote that the only means by which this disparity is accomplished isthrough DC Transpo's proposals to eliminate semester passes, which arecurrently $255 and $295. You comment that "At $180 per semester,students in Ottawa will benefit from one of the most generouslysubsidized transit services in Canada." In fact, at $180, the U-Pass is themost expensive program of its kind in Canada.B ac kg ro un d a nd N ex t S te psThe students' unions have already agreed to run referenda on a threeyear continuation of the program at a revenue neutral price set by theCity. The students' unions have also agreed to an annual 2.5% escalatorclause. At no point have the students' unions indicated they will supporta U-Pass program at any price.As previously noted, the students' unions have frequently requestedinformation on how DC Transpo has calculated revenue neutrality. Inyour response to our analysis, you refer to a statement by Sarah Kingindicating support for a revenue neutral U-Pass based on the costs andbene/its of the program. The benefits to DC Transpo and the City, manyof which are addressed in our analysis, have been omitted from yourresponse and the calculation of revenue neutrality. Take, for example,the fact that over 50,000 U-Pass fare media are printed and distributed atabsolutely no cost to DC Transpo. Further, DC Transpo is no longer payingcommissions on these fare media.The impetus for creating U-Pass programs in other jurisdictions has beento create a transit culture amongst youth that will build sustainedridership over time. Certainly most students support programs that offerclear environmental benefits, and the City should support programs thatoffer financial benefits such as reduced expenditures on road


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maintenance and infrastructure. In addition, programs like the U-Passimprove the health and well being of residents by reducing congestion.As noted in our report, the U-Pass program has taken 2500 cars off theroad each day during its first year alone. In essence, the U-Pass is anexcellent example of a program that fulfills the triple line budgetingmandate of the City - it is fiscally, socially, and environmentallyresponsible.We hope that you will give further consideration to the points raised inthis document as well as our initial research analysis. Moving forward,both students and City Council require accurate and comprehensiveinformation on the performance of the U-Pass program.On behalf of the students' unions at the University of Ottawa and

i~liLelly BlackVice-President Operationscc: Mayor Jim WatsonDiane Deans, Chair of Transit CommissionNancy Schepers, Deputy City ManagerVincent Patterson, Manager, Marketing and StrategicDevelopment, Transit ServicesDenis Cossette, Vice President, Resources, University of OttawaDiane Davidson, Vice President, Governance, University ofOttawaRyan Flannagan, Director, Student Affairs, Carleton UniversityTim Sullivan, Assistant Vice President, Finance, CarletonUniversityCouncil lor Stephen BlaisCouncillor Rainer BloessCouncillor David ChernushenkoCouncillor Rick ChiarelliCouncil lor Peter ClarkCouncillor Steve DescrochesCouncil lor Keith EgliCouncillor Eli EI-ChantiryCouncil lor Mathieu FleuryCouncillor Jan HarderCouncil lor Katherine HobbsCouncil lor Diane HolmesCouncil lor Allan HubleyCouncil lor Peter HumeCouncil lor Maria McRaeCouncillor Scott Moffatt


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Councillor Bob MonetteCouncillor Shad QadriCouncillor Mark TaylorCouncillor Tim TierneyCouncillor Doug ThompsonCouncillor Marianne WilkinsonElizabeth Kessler, Vice President University Affairs, StudentFederation of the University of OttawaShawn Philip Hunsdale, Executive Coordinator, StudentFederation of the University of OttawaTaiva Tegler, External Commissioner, Graduate Students'Association, University of OttawaPierre St-Jacques, Advocacy and Communications Coordinator,Graduate Students' Association, University of OttawaObed Okyere, President, Carleton University Students'AssociationChantle Beeso, Vice-President Student Issues, Carleton UniversityStudents' AssociationPhil Robinson, Executive Coordinator, Graduate Students'Association, Carleton University

Re: U-Pass Program Information Update and Outline of Next Steps - Letter to Alain Mercier

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