Conestoga College is a step closer to getting transit U-Pass for students

Regional councillors will hear more Tuesdayon an agreement between Conestoga College and Grand River Transit (GRT) to implement a universal transit pass.

If approved, students at the Kitchener, Ont., college would be able to take advantage of the new program starting inSeptember. The college's U-Pass program with GRTwould be a three-year term until Aug.31, 2027, with the option to renew.

"About 69 to 72 per cent of our students use public transit, and with our numbers being close to 40,000 ...with 27,000 alone being in the Waterloo region, you can see how much of an impact that has not just for our students, but for GRT as well,"Nelson Chukwuma, president of the college's student union, Conestoga Students Inc. (CSI), told CBC News.

The college held a referendum in October, with 93 per cent of votersin favour of implementing a universal transit pass.

It would be similar to a programoffered toWilfrid LaurierUniversity and University of Waterloo students that gives studentsunlimited rides on GRT and the ION at a reducedprice.

Conestoga students wouldsave over $680 a yearwith the U-Pass compared to the existing GRT Term Pass.

"This has been 14 years and four tries in the making, so for it to finally reach this stage, I'm very excited for CSI, I'm very excited for our studentsand I'm reallygrateful to our partners and GRT because they've been absolutely amazing in helping us put this together," Chukwuma said.

New transit hub design

Regional councillors will also hear about a proposed design for GRT's new transit hub at Conestoga's Doon campus.Theproposed location for the transit hub will be at the college'sParking Lot 6 area.

During a public consultation meeting in October, 55 per cent of respondents were in favour of a new transit hub, a report going to a planning and works committee meetingsaid.CSI alsoexpressed their support for the project in a letter Chukwuma wrote to the region in September.

Of those who responded, 18 per cent shared concerns aboutadditional trafficon Doon Valley Drive, but atraffic and noise study showed little impacts to traffic in the area, the report said.

If approved, construction for the hub is set to begin next spring and is expected to be complete at the end of 2026.