BELLINGHAM - Western Washington University students would continue to receive bus passes purchased through a student fee, under a deal Whatcom Transportation Authority is likely to approve.
But that's only if students this fall approve a five-year extension of the fee that buys the passes.
WTA's board on Thursday, Feb. 9, will consider approving an extension of the contract with WWU. More than half the WTA board members, sitting as the board's executive committee, have already recommended approving the extension.
WWU students taking more than six credits currently pay a $25-per-term alternative transportation fee, which pays for WTA bus passes for each of them, a late-night shuttle and transportation-related staff positions. In spring 2007, more than 80 percent of student voters approved the fee. The pass program went into effect in fall 2007.
The fee is set to expire, however, and student government leaders are working on putting a fee extension on the April ballot.
"We do anticipate that this fee will increase due to the increasing costs of services provided by the fee, however we are not sure by how much at the moment," according to a timeline and process summary from Anna Ellermeier, student government president and a member of the negotiating team.
In coming weeks, the Alternative Transportation Fee Committee will consider how large a fee to propose, and it'll provide a recommendation to the student government board of directors, which could then send the referendum to students.
The universal pass program is responsible for significantly boosting student ridership. In 2006, the last full calendar year before the pass went into effect, students took more than 1 million bus rides, WTA estimates. In 2008, the first full year with the pass, that jumped to more than 1.8 million trips.
If students reject the fee, the universal pass program with WTA ends and students who want passes will have to buy them on their own without the discount that comes with buying them in bulk.
Student approval is technically a recommendation to the WWU Board of Trustees, which would decide in June whether to impose the fee. Trustees likely would follow the will of student voters.
WTA staff wanted to ensure WTA got as much revenue through the bulk sales as it would if the program didn't exist and students bought passes on their own, said Rick Nicholson, WTA director of service development.
The draft contract makes assumptions of future student enrollment and WTA fare increases. Specifically, it anticipates a 1.39 percent annual increase in enrollment, as well as a boost to bus fares in mid-2013, with a 25 percent increase in the student quarterly pass. The amount WWU pays for passes would be adjusted if enrollment or the fare increase, which would have to be approved by the WTA board, differs from projections, according to a WTA staff report.
The WTA board's executive committee on Thursday, Feb. 2, voted to recommend to the full board approving the deal. The vote was 6-0, with board members Pete Kremen, Kelli Linville and Jack Louws absent (Linville and Louws, as Bellingham mayor and county executive, respectively, traditionally don't attend the executive committee meetings).
ATTEND THE MEETING
What: Whatcom Transportation Authority's board will decide whether to approve a five-year extension of a contract with Western Washington University providing bus passes to students.
When: 8 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 9.
Where: County Council Chambers, 311 Grand Ave. in Bellingham.
More information: Here's a WTA staff report on the bus pass proposal (PDF).
BULK PASS PRICE
Under a draft deal between Whatcom Transportation Authority and Western Washington University, WWU would pay the following for bus passes for students in future years:
• 2011-12 (current academic year): $731,844
• 2012-13: $793,462 (8.4 percent increase)
• 2013-14: $857,418 (8 percent increase)
• 2014-15: $923,670 (7.7 percent increase)
• 2015-16: $933,618 (1 percent increase)
• 2016-17: $946,596 (1.4 percent increase)
SOURCE: WTA staff report
JOIN THE DISCUSSION | Register here
We welcome comments. Please keep them civil, short and to the point. ALL CAPS, spam, obscene, profane, abusive and off topic comments will be deleted. Repeat offenders will be blocked. Thanks for taking part — and abiding by these simple rules. A thorough explanation of rules of conduct can be found in our Terms of Service. If you have any questions, including why your comment may not be showing immediately after you submit it, be sure to visit the commenting FAQ.