Tim Guan
@TIM_GUAN30
The new transportation proposal devised by the student government aims to create an affordable and free transportation service to all students– at the cost of a new fee students will have to pay.
By fall of 2018, students will need to decide on whether to pass a new flat fee that would cover the monetary requirements of transportation which is utilized by some students.
One of the more controversial aspects of this new proposal is that this fee would be required for all students regardless of whether or not they actually use any of the services for school commuting. Should this the proposal pass with enough votes during the upcoming student election, it will be effective by the Fall 2018 semester.
ASLPC advisor Scott Miner said that “it’s the best solution for all students who want to keep transportation free.” Based on LPC analysis of the past five years of student enrollment data, if this proposal were to pass and be implemented, in theory, the transportation fee would generate $150,000 per fiscal year with all the revenue going toward the subsidy that funds the “free” transportation.
Members of ASLPC have internally debated the fee, and they believe that the benefits outweigh the negatives.
In a Transportation Fee study, under optimal variables given that if there is a constant population of students and flow of paid fees, estimates close to the milestone are quite possible, but may not yet reach their full potential by year’s end unless everyone contributes.
Although students have the choice to decide whether this new policy passes, A small fee of $8.00 for part-time and $9.00 for full-time students will ensure that transportation remains free and affordable for everyone– for the benefit of everyone to have free universal transportation not only for campus transit, but to also travel around the community at no additional cost.
