Illegal U-Pass sales costing TransLink millions

Translink says the illegal sale of U-Passes has caused millions of dollars in lost fare revenue and could jeopardize the program.

The discounted transit passes are automatically included in the fees paid by students at UBC, SFU, Langara, and Capilano University.

But TransLink spokesman Ken Hardie says many students try to sell the passes online.

"Anybody who buys and uses a U-Pass needs to know that there are serious consequences if they're caught and we do catch people," he said.

He warns officials do monitor Craigslist and other similar sites and will often pose as buyers to catch offenders, who could face criminal charges, including fraud.

"We know that, in some cases, the international students have been active in this activity.  You can understand that being charged with a criminal offense could impact somebody's status in Canada, so they're taking a horrible risk, particularly," said Hardie.