VCC and Douglas College approve U-Pass

Students at Vancouver Community College and Douglas College in New Westminster and Coquitlam have voted overwhelmingly to approve the new U-Pass, the student unions announced on Wednesday morning.

Douglas College students vote 94 per cent "Yes" to the new program while VCC students voted 97 per cent to bring in the new transit passes for all students.

The U-Pass will be rolled out at Vancouver Community College and at Emily Carr University early next year and at Douglas College in the spring.

The vote follows a promise this summer by the province to provide the subsidized transit passes to all post-secondary students in B.C. for $30 a month, saving students a minimum of $50 per month over the cost of a regular transit pass.

But before the passes are introduced, the province required each student union to hold a vote to give students a chance to approve the popular program, which is added on to their student fees.