Students TransLink threatens to cancel U-Pass

milquetoast · May 26, 2011

What a joke. Translink's credibility went out the door once they mentioned an overinflated loss value. It's like they took a cue from the record companies in their calculations .

Srsly Translink, if you want to gain public sympathy, don't fudge your numbers.

TransLink is losing as much as $15 million a year to lost, stolen and resold U-Passes, prompting officials to threaten to cancel the student program if the problem persists. TransLink estimates it loses between $7.8 million and $15 million every year from lost, misplaced, stolen or resold U-Passes.

In an average year, about 11 per cent of U-Passes are lost, either by students or in the mail, and are replaced. If those passes were used for three-zone travel, the value equates to $9 million a year.

[This does not sound flawed at all . The real value would just be the cost of printing replacements unless you're assuming that everyone is committing fraud and would normally pay for a three zone pass.]

At the same time, about five per cent of students who register for school and receive a U-Pass drop out and do not return the passes, which are potentially worth a total of about $6 million.

[Potentially, but highly unlikely. Most people would get 1/2 zone rather than 3 zone monthly passes if they didn't have access to the U-Pass. They'd probably use transit more efficiency too, not to mention some people would flat out drive or walk instead.]

Another $2.4 million is lost as two per cent of U-Passes sent to schools for distribution are unaccounted for, Hardie said. []

Transit Police Staff Sgt. Ken Schinkel said those caught with a legitimate card belonging to someone else will be charged $173 for improper use of a fare as well as another $173 for not having a fare. [So deduct the revenue from fines from your potential losses.]

“It’s not uncommon [for fines to be laid] and it’s not just with a U-Pass,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a legitimate U-Pass that a student doesn’t require any more so they try to make a little money off it or some manufacture them on a computer.”

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/TransLink threatens cancel Pass/4840844/story.html
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ema · Aug 15, 2011

I'm starting to think it's ridic with the U-Pass, I know that UBC's whatever person has defended Translink and said that if it was either price increase and card wending machines OR nothing at all. It seems as though the news is reporting that UBC students fully accepted the price increase with last year's vote which isn't true, I recall that we were told the options of "price increase or no U-Pass at all" so obviously we chose the price increase. i'm putting this out there because some people i know have said some things on the line of why are you ubc kids complaining?

they never told us it would be monthly u-passes lol that's not what was voted on, what was being voted on was price increase or no U-Pass at all.

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Students TransLink threatens to cancel U-Pass

milquetoast Senior Member

ema Full Member

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