PUBLISHED: 12-08-08

Commuter students need fare break

Every semester, full-time Columbia students enjoy a wonderful little plastic perk-the student U-Pass. The U-Pass is included in students’ tuition at a deeply discounted rate from a regular CTA pass and allows students unlimited rides on all CTA buses and trains during the course of the semester. There is no doubt-students love their U-Passes. But Metra Commuter students still don’t get to enjoy the same perks as CTA riders, which is a huge source of frustration for many students.

After the first of the year, a bill that includes a Metra student discount amendment is tentatively scheduled to be voted on by the Illinois House of Representatives. Although information regarding the discount amount is still unknown, any discount would be a welcome and long-overdue benefit for students.

Full-time students who live in the suburbs and commute to the city for classes are already paying a fee for the student U-Pass, something they usually don’t need to use, as they are paying full price for Metra rides. This is an unfair system, but creating a discounted program for Metra riders will help to offset the price commuter students pay, in their tuition, for unused U-Passes.

One of the great benefits of the proposed discount program is that unlike the U-Pass program, students will not have a Metra pass fare tacked onto their tuition bills. Students who want to take advantage of the program will be able to, but those who don’t will not be forced to shell out additional money.

If the bill passes, state funding will help pay for the program, so it is important that legislators review the proposal carefully and do not extend a discount greater than what they can reasonably afford. Chicagoans have seen that happen time and again with the CTA. Inevitably, the answer always seems to be a fare increase.

The Metra student discount program has the potential to be a huge asset to students, but only if thought out and executed in a responsible manner.

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