Breakdown of the budget for student HSR bus pass

With the HSR bus pass going to referendum, students can decide whether to continue paying HSR fees

Thomas News Staff Writer

With the MSU presidential elections around the corner, students will also be allowed to vote in referenda on programs that cost additional fees.

Currently, students have a 12-month, unlimited-ride bus pass with the Hamilton Street Railway. The contract for the pass does not include an opt-out clause which prevents students from opting out of the fee. This contract is re-negotiated and sent to student referenda every three years.

Currently, students have a 12-month, unlimitedride bus pass with the Hamilton Street Railway. The contract for the pass does not include an optout clause which prevents students from opting out of the fee.

The HSR bus pass costs for 20222023 are $232.94 for undergraduate students and $294.15 for graduate students.

Given the current adult cash fare of $3.25, savings earned from the bus pass would require undergraduate students to use HSR more than 72 times and graduate students to use it more than 91 times during the 12-month period.

An undergraduate student who com- mutes to and from campus using HSR for classes during the 2023-2023 fall and winter terms (124 days excluding reading week, holidays, and exam periods) would have to pay $806 in adult cash fares without the HSR pass. In this instance, the HSR pass would save the student approximately three and half times compared to adult cash fares.

Given the current adult cash fare of $3.25, savings earned from the bus pass would require undergraduate students to use HSR more than 72 times and graduate students to use it more than 91 times during the 12-month period.

The 2023-2024 MSU-HSR bus pass is made up of three components: 1) The Eight-Month Fall-Winter Pass, which costs $207.90; the Four-Month Summer Pass, which costs $21.98 and the Extended Service Pass (buses into downtown until 3:00 am), which costs $8.91. The total fee is then $241.79.

The costs of an annual MSU-HSR bus pass for the next three years are as follows: $241.79 in 2023-2024, $250.63 in 2024-2025 and $259.48 in 2025-2026.

The annual price increases are a result of annual increases in HSR’s monthly bus pass, which is used as a percentage relation to calculate the MSU-HSR bus pass prices. For example, the cost of $207.90 in the 2023-2024 eight-month fall-winter pass is from negotiating prices to be 175% of a monthly pass of 118.80).

The previous referendum in 2017 resulted in the renewal of the MSU-HSR bus pass.

Polling dates for the MSU-HSR referendum, other referenda and the MSU presidential elections are from January 24 to January 26.