There are two referendums for the introduction new student fees this week, including if the fee for Hamilton Bike Share should be added to the MSU fee for the 2024/2025 academic year
On Mar. 6 and 7, the McMaster Students Union will hold two referendums, one on the introduction the president's "soup and bread" initiative and on the introduction of an annual bike pass following the Student Representative Assembly general elections. This bike pass will be provided by Hamilton Bike Share and cost MSU members $22 plus tax. The pass will provide students with 8 months access to bike share for 90 minutes daily. Furthermore, the pass will be offered with an option for students to opt out.
This initiative has been advocated for by a student group at McMaster University. Students Rhea Saini, an Ontario Legislature Intern, and Paris Liu, fourth-year civil engineering student, had come together in their living room one night after a discussion about the current transportation systems that exist for students. They had recognized the funding issues that had been going on with the bike share. Both had agreed that a bike pass included in student fees may be something beneficial for students.
"[Hamilton Bike Share] were losing funding from the city so a student bike pass was one of the things we had thought about. A city law was the way that idea resurfaced. So Paris and I basically came together with like the two different [focuses] and started this campaign idea in our living room, which was so funny," said Saini.
David Landry and Xin Law-Gallagher, both third-year art sciences students, are other students who have been working to have the bike pass implemented. They shared that this bike pass is something that can really benefit students. They believe it can allow students an easy method to explore Hamilton.
“[Hamilton Bike Share] really adds to student life and kind of being a student Master is when you have access to a bike, especially a bike that you can leave anywhere, and to pick up anywhere, it really opens up kind of the community around McMaster,” said Law-Gallagher.
[Hamilton Bike Share] really adds to student life and kind of being a student Master is when you have access to a bike, especially a bike that you can leave anywhere, and to pick up anywhere, it really opens up kind of the community around McMaster.
Xin Law-Gallagher, McMaster bike pass advocate
Law-Gallagher shared that in this referendum, there is the option for students to opt out, which should appeal to a larger student body.
The McMaster student bike share pass advocate Kenneth Chen, a fourth-year health sciences student, expressed that the option to opt out of the member ensures accessibility. This is because they recognize that a bike pass may not be ideal for everyone and that the students should have the choice to not contribute their fees.
“I believe that sustainability should be affordable because it often is not. Right now is the time to act on this opportunity. Not only [is Hamilton Bike Share] like affordable but [also] accessible. That's one thing with the opt-out optional, it really does make it truly accessible,” said Chen.
Taskin Eera, another student in fourth year environment and society who has been working to have the bike pass implemented, expressed that if this is passed then more bikes will be provided on campus to accommodate students. They are also hoping to employ students to manage these bike stations.
“Bike share will be increasing service and also there will be there will likely be student employees to ensure that the service is kept up. And this will help promote active and sustainable transport in a cultural institutional level that isn't quite as prevailing in our sort of car-centric model that we have today,” said Eera.
Law-Gallagher and Ofure Itua, another student in fourth-year biomedical discovery & commercialization who has been working to have the bike pass implemented, argued that there is nothing for students to lose if voting in favour of including the bike share pass to the student fees.
“I'd tell them that there is literally no downside to voting yes. If you vote yes, your peers get access to a great bike pass, and you can still opt out and not pay anything. And if you vote, no, nothing happens,” said Law-Gllagher.
I'd tell them that there is literally no downside to voting yes. If you vote yes, your peers get access to a great bike pass, and you can still opt out and not pay anything. And if you vote, no, nothing happens.
Xin Law-Gallagher, McMaster bike pass advocate
To vote in favour or against this referendum, students can log in with their MacID on SimplyVoting. Voting for this referendum will be held on Mar. 6 and 7, 2024.
In last week’s referendum, full-time undergraduate students voted to uphold the current agreement between Hamilton Street Railway and the McMaster Students Union, which gives students bus passes for 12 months with expanded service on the 51-University bus line.
Out of five options, 43 per cent of students that voted chose the 12 month expanded bus pass as their top choice on the ranked ballot.
Students also had the option to decide between a 12 month pass without expanded service, an eight month pass with or without expanded service and no bus pass at all.
Prior to 2014, the MSU provided a subsidized HSR bus pass that lasted from September to April. In a 2014 referendum, students voted overwhelmingly in support of a year-round bus pass with expanded 51-University service.
The MSU renews their contract with the HSR every three years. Students voted to uphold the agreement in 2017, and did the same this year.
To establish the agreement for the base fee of the bus pass, the MSU engaged in a negotiation process with the HSR alongside the university, Redeemer college and Mohawk college.
In September 2019, students paid $225.55 for their bus passes. Next year, under the renewed agreement, they will cost $223.92, climbing to $229.62 in 2022. In comparison, an unsubsidized monthly HSR bus pass costs $110 per month, or $1,320 for a full year.
According to a 2017 briefing from the McMaster Graduate Student Association, the city of Hamilton has a vested interest in offering a reduced bus fare. A subsidized bus pass encourages students to explore the city, which can in turn lead to greater population retention.
The HSR stands to benefit from this deal as well. Approximately 12 per cent of the revenue collected by the HSR comes from the McMaster U-pass.
McMaster is one of many post-secondary institutions across southwestern Ontario to provide some sort of subsidized bus pass for undergraduate students. Within Hamilton, Mohawk college and Redeemer college also offer subsidized bus passes for students. Students at Queen’s University, the University of Western Ontario and the University of Guelph also decide via referenda to provide compulsory passes for undergraduate students. The costs vary depending on the university, ranging from $90 to $240.
Now that the McMaster bus pass has been voted on via referendum, students cannot opt out of the fee. This is because, when HSR knows how many students will pay the fee, they can project service levels and secure revenue. In turn, they agree to provide a bus pass at a substantially reduced cost.
After the student choice initiative was announced in January 2019, there was some concern that the bus passes would be designated as non-essential, which would have prevented the MSU from making an agreement with the HSR for subsidized bus passes.
In February of last year, Merrilee Fullerton, then the minister of training, colleges and universities, announced that the bus passes would remain mandatory.
The agreement with the HSR will be renegotiated in 2023.
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