SA investigates unlimited Metro pass

A coalition of D.C. student leaders is floating a plan that would allow students to purchase unlimited Metrorail passes through their universities.

The D.C. Metro University Student Alliance is researching a proposal that would give students the option of adding an extra fee to their tuition bill in exchange for a year-long Metrorail pass. The cost is yet to be determined.

The Student Association, in conjunction with MUSA, is putting together a study that shows the benefits students at other universities derive from similar programs.

At the University of Washington in Seattle, a program that gives students unlimited access to the city’s bus and monorail system, has increased ridership by 35 percent and decreased student traffic on campus by 20 percent.

In a 2002-2003 tuition action survey circulated by the SA, 167 of the 349 respondents voiced support for an unlimited Metro access for a $25 to $50 per semester fee.

SA Executive Vice President Eric Daleo, a MUSA member, said MUSA and the SA hope to complete its research by December and present a proposal to the D.C. Department of Transportation some time next year.