Getting schooled on CTA's U-Pass

With a U-Pass, full-time students at participating universities are allowed unlimited rides on the CTA during the school year. The card can't be used on Metra or Pace and can't be shared or transferred.

The U-Pass recently saw a nearly 16 percent fare bump. This semester, the CTA is charging schools 81 cents per student per day for the U-Pass, up from a 70-cent rate earlier this year.

If the proposed U-Pass fare hike is approved, the CTA would charge $1 per student per day, starting with the fall 2010 term.

"This is ridiculous," said Columbia College student Melody Ramos, 20, when asked by "Going Public" about her use of U-Pass. "That means that tuition will go up, and students are known for being broke."

The cost for the U-Pass varies between colleges because of the length of their semesters.

DePaul University undergraduate students pay $71 per quarter for their U-Passes, according to the DePaul Web site, while University of Illinois-Chicago graduate students pay $109 for the U-Pass each semester, according to the UIC Web site.

Students typically pay the U-Pass fee when they pay their tuition.

"It's really beneficial for a lot of our students," said Patrick Tran, 25, president of the DePaul University College of Law Student Bar Association. "There's a lot of expenses, a lot of costs with going to school. ... Adding to the cost of a higher education, it's a burden no matter how much it is."

The CTA has U-Pass contracts with 45 colleges and universities, CTA spokeswoman Wanda Taylor said. The University of Chicago is just one of a few local institutions that don't participate.

The U-Pass is controversial at some colleges, where it's a required expense for full-time students, some of whom complain they don't use the CTA that often.

A 2007 survey of 967 Northwestern graduate students found 20 percent of respondents were "unconditionally opposed" to the school's U-Pass program.

A similar Northwestern survey last year found about 35 percent of respondents said they use the CTA/U-Pass as their primary mode of transportation.

Here is some reader feedback.

Allyson Wienc, 23, of the western suburbs wrote: "I just wanted to add my two cents regarding the U-Pass price increase. As a student at Columbia College, my main issue was that I had no way to opt out of the U-Pass program. I would ride Metra into the city and walk to class. I had no need to ride CTA and yet I still had to pay. I understand why it is a necessary program for some but why be forced to spend money for a service you aren't using?"