Hey Condors,
Are you curious about what CSI Advocacy has been up to? CSI has been busy working away advocating for the Guelph student body.
In April of 2023, Guelph Transit announced a 12.5% increase in fare pricing to affect Guelph Conestoga Students, after a six-year price freeze, along with the news that monthly and semesterly passes would no longer be available. These changes were proposed to come into effect starting September 2023.
What was the issue?
Guelph Transit proposed a new transit fare strategy and invited CSI to delegate in relation to the proposal in April 2023. Guelph Transit also announced a 12.5% price increase to impact students, which is more than the current inflation rate in Ontario.
Students in Guelph would no longer have access to purchasing a monthly bus pass. There would also no longer be a semesterly bus pass option for students. Instead, they proposed a new transit fare capping system which acts as a loyalty program for transit riders and would ultimately replace the monthly and semesterly bus passes.
What was the resolution?
CSI President Nelson Chukwuma, and Guelph’s Transportation Student Advisory Committee Representative, Meet, met with Guelph City Council to express support for the new transit fare strategy and concern for the steep proposed fare increase. They also expressed concern regarding the lack of Sunday transit service in Guelph.
As a result of their delegation and others, the Guelph City Council amended the proposed fare increase to put affordability first and introduce the price increase gradually over the course of three years.
Guelph Transit will be introducing a new fare-capping system for Fall of 2023. The new system will act as a loyalty program for riders. This will eliminate the need to pay for expensive monthly passes upfront and will allow riders to have more control over their pass. Once you pay to ride transit 32 times, you will ride for free for the remainder of the month. There will also be a new Student Fare of $2.25 for single ride fares.
Guelph Transit will be visiting the Conestoga College Guelph Campus to give students more information about the new system in September.