By Josh Hughes
Every five years, during AS Elections, the Student Transportation Fee goes up for a vote. This means that, if passed, students at Western get a continued reduced fee on their transportation passes around Bellingham, including WTA bus passes, access to the Late Night Shuttle, and a Student Alternative Transportation Coordinator. Originally proposed as the Alternative Transportation Fee back in 2007, its inclusion in student tuition helps thousands of students that use alternative transportation, namely WTA, as a means of getting to school and around town.
If you’ve seen quite a few posters around campus recently referring to Student Transportation, it’s probably because this vote will have a very immediate impact on the majority of students at Western. With its complete overhaul of bus routes, WTA has especially been on the radar around campus for the entirety of Spring quarter. But the voting, which occurs from April 24 to 28, will be the most important factor in the next five years of how students can access public transportation.
As it currently factors into tuition for students taking six or more credits, the Alternative Transportation Fee rests at a reasonable $26.25 per quarter. If the vote doesn’t pass, however, the quarterly bus pass will calculate out to $40, which students would have to pay out of pocket for. This has worked out in the past because Western can buy these student passes in bulk for much cheaper than individuals have to. While the new WTA routes have a shifted emphasis to commuters who don’t need to get to Western, the public bus system in Bellingham still heavily relies on Western students, therefore the relationship between the two has remained fairly symbiotic.
Beyond transportation to and from campus, WTA routes have expanded over the last few years to include access to Western’s Lakewood location along Lake Whatcom, the Fred Meyers shopping area, the Amtrak and Greyhound station, the Bellingham Airport, and even Mt. Vernon (the last of which is not even included in regular bus passes through WTA).
What becomes more important about this transportation vote, however, is that if not enough students find out about the importance of their say in the matter, our reduced alternative transportation fees could significantly ramp up this coming 2017-18 school year. The fee will be on the upcoming ballot along with all other student positions and elections, so be sure to visit http://wwu.edu/vote once the polls open next week to make your voice heard throughout the community.