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U-Pass BC

A U-Pass BC gives students access to bus, SeaBus and SkyTrain services within Metro Vancouver, as well as discounts on West Coast Express.

All eligible students pay for their U-Pass BC as part of their student fees. By having everyone contribute to the program, the cost per student is significantly lower.

Load your U-Pass BC onto your Compass Card

Link your card and request your U-Pass BC each month before you travel.

Link your Card

Through a partnership between the Province of British Columbia and TransLink, the U-Pass BC program is open to all public, post-secondary schools across Metro Vancouver. Participation is determined by student referendum at each eligible institution.

 

Ten post-secondary institutions in Metro Vancouver currently participate in the program:

  • University of British Columbia

  • Simon Fraser University

  • Capilano University

  • Langara College

  • Emily Carr University of Art & Design

  • Vancouver Community College

  • Douglas College

  • Kwantlen Polytechnic University

  • British Columbia Institute of Technology

  • Nicola Valley Institute of Technology

U-Pass FAQ

The objectives of the U-Pass BC Program are to:

  • Provide lower-cost travel for students

  • Encourage students to make transit part of their lifestyle by including travel with the U-Pass BC Program for entertainment, recreation, and other non-school related trips

  • Reduce single-occupancy vehicles, traffic congestion, and greenhouse gases

  • Begin to create a sustainable transit program that provides students with a low-cost transit fare and a level of transit service that meets this demand

  • Create a new U-Pass BC Code of Ethics that allows students to continue to enjoy the benefits of the U-Pass BC Program

Only public, post-secondary schools within the Metro Vancouver region, as determined by the Ministry of Advanced Education, are eligible to join the U-Pass BC Program in Metro Vancouver. Privately-funded, post-secondary schools are not eligible to join the U-Pass BC Program at this time.

No. A U-Pass BC loaded on a Compass Card is only valid on TransLink services in Metro Vancouver.

Normally, most students attending one of the participating, public post-secondary institutions are eligible for the Program. While eligibility criteria for the Program is established by the Province of British Columbia, a student’s eligibility is determined by each post-secondary institution based on that criteria. Please be advised that eligibility may be temporarily modified due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information on your eligibility status for the U-Pass BC Program, please contact your post-secondary institution U-Pass BC Program representative.

Overall, the benefit of a significantly-discounted transit pass provided through the Program is partly dependent on the ability of student associations to charge a mandatory fee to participate in the Program. Students approve their participation in the Program through a referendum held by their student association.

However, the Program does allow for a limited number of exemptions to be set by each post-secondary institution and their respective student association.

For more information on your eligibility for, or exemption from, the Program, please contact your post-secondary institution or student association U-Pass BC Program representative.

The monthly U-Pass BC fees for eligible students are set at:

  • $41.00 from Jan 1 2020 to Apr 30 2020

  • $42.50 from May 1 2020 to Apr 30 2021

  • $43.35 from May 1 2021 to Apr 30 2022

  • $44.20 from May 1 2022 to Apr 30 2023

  • $45.10 from May 1 2023 to Apr 30 2024

  • $46.00 from May 1 2024 to Apr 30 2025

U-Pass BC Fees are collected by your post-secondary institution as part of your student fees.

You will load your U-Pass BC onto an Adult Compass Card. Visit upassbc.translink.ca to learn more.