U of M officials: record-setting U-Pass sales ticket to better air quality
University of Minnesota sophomore Cassie Klebig was greeted with some fanfare, including balloons and prizes, when she arrived at the institution's Parking and Transportation Services office on March 25. She had unknowingly purchased its 250,000th transit pass (better known as the U-Pass, which enables unlimited rides a semester at a time), a new record.
From The Minnesota Monitor March 27, 2008
Since the $64-a-semester U-Pass was first offered in 2000, Metro Transit transit ridership to and from campus has more than tripled. Nearly 20,000 people who regularly visit the U now take advantage of public transportation, compared with the 7,000 tabulated at the program's launch, according to university information.
Each year, sales of the bus/light rail pass have steadily climbed. In its first fall semester -- the system's busiest time of the year -- 8,250 U-Passes were purchased. The following fall saw 11,628. In general, the numbers have continued to jump; 20,439 U-Passes were bought in the first semester of 2007.
Some university officials are touting the milestone and its environmental benefits. Originally, the U-Pass was supported through a $5.5 million federal grant for Congestion Mitigation Air Quality, "aimed at improving air quality and reducing congestion on Twin Cities roadways," a U of M statement reads. Since then, the program has become self-sustaining. Some university officials claim it has led to an estimated reduction of 114,000 vehicle miles a day, while 1,500 tons of carbon monoxide emissions has been eliminated.
Bob Baker, executive director for Parking and Transportation Services, said in a prepared statement, "If we plan to preserve our environment yet keep our cities growing and moving into the 22nd century, future generations will need to embrace better ways of commuting."
"The way to foster that is by shaping transportation patterns early in life. With U-Pass, we make that happen," he added.
Similarly, Metro Transit announced in February that it has reached its highest annual ridership since 1982, with 77 million rides last year. (U of M passengers accounted for 4.3 million of those trips.) Some reasons for the increase were rising gas prices, growing freeway congestion and complications from the I-35W bridge collapse, according to Metro Transit information.
