ASU’s Parking and Transit Services center has experienced a dramatic decline in U-Pass sales this semester after almost doubling last year’s price.
The U-Pass, which allows ASU students to use Valley Metro services at a subsidized cost, increased to $150 from last academic year’s $80. The near doubling in price has caused many students to opt for purchasing daily transit passes when needed instead of the discounted yearlong pass.
The average adult rider pays $55 per month to ride the light rail, Valley Metro spokeswoman Hillary Foose said, meaning the $150 per-year price ASU offers students still represents a sizable savings.
Nevertheless, the price change has driven students away. As of March, more than 13,000 U-Passes were purchased for student use for the 2010-11 school year. This academic year, the number stands at just over 9,000.
Journalism sophomore Hannah Button said she purchased a U-Pass last year but opted out of buying one this year, in part because of the price increase.
“I’m not a fan of the light rail in the first place, and the price increase just made it a lot less appealing,” Button said.
She said that since the second semester of her freshman year, she has used ASU’s intercampus shuttle buses to travel between the Tempe and Downtown campuses. Button said she finds the shuttles more suitable for her needs because they are quicker, easier to get to and free.
Changes in U-Pass prices in the past have affected previous sales, according to data provided by ASU Parking and Transit Services. During the 2008-09 school year, U-Passes were free and over 27,000 students took advantage of them. The next year, after prices jumped to $80, sales declined to just under 10,000.
Leona Morales, communications specialist for Parking and Transit Services, said this record low for U-Pass sales is reflective of the price increase.
“The only people who are going to be purchasing them are people who see the value of using it,” she said.
Global health senior Alia Azmat, who travels three days a week from Tempe to the West campus by taking the ASU shuttle, would see the value of the pass if the light rail ever reached the West campus.
“I would definitely buy a pass if it expanded to West,” she said. “For me, the shuttle coming to West is nice, but if you’re a little late, you miss it. … That’s really annoying. The light rail would come more frequently, and I feel like it would be faster.”
Despite students’ concerns over cost, light-rail ridership reached record highs in September, with well over 1.2 million riders. In the past, ASU has contributed to about 20 percent of the daily ridership.
Students still ride the light rail in large numbers, but more appear to be relying on daily passes, said Foose, the Valley Metro spokeswoman.
“We enjoy and still see very strong ridership from ASU students, faculty, and staff,” she said.
Contact the reporter at kristin.hwang@asu.edu
