USAC increases proposed student fee for Universal Access Transit Pass referendum
A Culver City bus is pictured. The Undergraduate Students Association Council approved a fee increase for the Universal Access Transit Pass referendum. (Justin Jung/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Alexandra Kaiser
April 18, 2023 11:46 p.m.
This post was updated April 19 at 2:51 p.m.
The Undergraduate Students Association Council unanimously voted to increase the proposed student fee for the upcoming Universal Access Transit Pass referendum from $2.65 to $3.30 per quarter.
UCLA undergraduate students will vote on the Universal Access Transit Pass referendum in the upcoming USAC election. If approved, the referendum will impose a quarterly student fee in exchange for providing each student with an LA Metro card with unlimited rides.
[Related: Students to vote on referendum to fund transit passes with students fees]
The fee was originally set at $2.65, but this did not take into account the cost of the physical TAP card, said Jeff Van, a member of the USAC Facilities Commission, at the April 4 USAC meeting. UCLA was originally planning on offering more options than the physical card, but this is not an option for special passes like this, he added.
This cost is included in the student fee in an effort to make the referendum more equitable, Van said, adding that students who receive financial aid will have the cost covered by their aid, which would not be the case if they had to pay when picking up the card. He added that the physical card costs $2.00, but UCLA Transportation will subsidize the difference. This is the last fee increase for this referendum, he said.
At least 20% of undergraduate students must vote in the election, and at least 50% of voters must vote in favor of the referendum in order for it to pass. Voting opens online at MyUCLA on May 5 and will close May 12.
