It has become a common practice at institutions of higher learning for students to pay for a transit pass, included with their student cards, whether they use the service or not. There are other similar ancillary fees that are built into the cost of being a student at post-secondary schools.
But what about the students who own or use vehicles to commute to classes and subsequently must pay for parking as well? What about students who live outside the transit area and cannot use the service?
According to the Nipissing University website, "All ancillary fees are compulsory and do not have an "opt-out" option with the exception of the Health Plan Fees. In order to facilitate these services for our students at a reduced rate, they are included among the full-time compulsory ancillary fees that have been agreed upon by the Compulsory Ancillary Fee Committee, your Nipissing University Student Union, and the Nipissing University Board of Governors."
These compulsory fees, besides those for bus passes, include a student services fee, athletics fee, an athletics maintenance fee, internet/email fee, and handbook fee, among others.
It would be a logistical nightmare to have an opt-in or opt-out clause relating to bus passes or any of the other ancillary fees listed. If you commute from Bonfield, though, there is very little chance that you are using your bus pass to get to and from classes. The compulsory fee for bus passes was voted-in by a student referendum in 2001.
President of the Nipissing University Student Union (NUSU), Sydney Lamorea, offered, "The agreement between Nipissing University and the City of North Bay helps promote safe and reliable means of transportation for everyone especially those who do not have access to a vehicle. We encourage students to utilize this service."
Laurentian University offers an opt-out from the compulsory fee for a bus pass, but not for a student who would simply rather drive to school. The three exemptions offered are for those who make use of the Handi-Transit system; students living outside the area serviced by Sudbury Transit, or the closest stop is more than 1.5 km from the student's residence; or in the case where the student is on a placement or exchange out of town.
A bus pass for the 2017-18 academic year will cost Nipissing University full-time students a reduced rate of $184.08 after North Bay City Council approved the three-year renewal of their transit agreement with the school, last Tuesday. The renewal gives those students a discounted transit pass from September 1 until April 30. A four per cent annual increase will see bus pass fees rise to $191.44 in 2018-19 and $199.10 in 2019-20.
Contingent upon enrollment, the City estimates revenues between $500,000 and $600,000 annually for each of the three years of the agreement with Nipissing University.
So, a full-time student who resides in Bonfield and commutes by vehicle, would, for the next three academic years, pay $574.62 in bus pass fees for a service that they cannot access from home. Plus parking fees.
