What Grinds Our Gears: The U-Pass BC website glitch

It has been three months and we still can’t reload our cards with convenience

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The U-Pass system has been controversial over the years. PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak

by Tiffany Chang, Peak Associate

Many students at SFU have the U-Pass — a flat-fee transit option for those attending university in BC. While I appreciate the convenience it has given us, the website where U-Pass holders reload their card has not been working properly. More specifically, the initial step to reload the card, which requires selecting a school from a drop-down menu, can’t be accessed. It’s been over three months since the site began experiencing issues and I’m surprised no one has been able to figure out why.

Although the problem has a temporary solution — calling in and having the U-Pass manually reloaded — I am still disappointed. TransLink is a large organization that surely has access to personnel who would be able to solve the glitch quickly. I’m sure their staff is doing something about it, but I miss being able to just go online at any time to reload my pass, instead of waiting for TransLink’s office to be open to call in. 

It was recently announced that SFU is seriously considering returning to in-person classes for the upcoming fall semester. So, for the sake of the 88% of SFU’s student population who use public transportation, TransLink really needs to get a handle on this situation before then.

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