The Student Transportation Fee referendum passed on Jan. 31 with 83% of votes cast in favor, increasing the quarterly Student Transportation Fee from $69.57 to $75.00 starting Fall 2025. A total of 22,550 votes, a 54% voter turnout, were cast during the voting period from Jan. 27 to Jan. 31, with 18,776 in favor of keeping the Triton U-Pass program.
The referendum’s success will allow UC San Diego undergraduate and graduate students to continue using the U-Pass indefinitely, granting unlimited use of public transportation services in San Diego County. Students are also now able to use their Triton U-Passes during summer quarters, starting Summer 2025. Students will continue to be charged the now-increased quarterly transportation fee for three of the four quarters starting Fall 2025.
The expanded U-Pass now includes all North County Transit District public transportation services, such as the COASTER Commuter Rail, FLEX, and NCTD+. There is currently no publicly available timeline regarding when these services will become available for students, though it is estimated to be Fall 2025. NCTD did not respond to The UCSD Guardian’s request for comment.
NCTD public transit mostly operates rail services like the COASTER Commuter Rail. It also offers FLEX On-Demand reservable transportation services, and NCTD+, a shared ride service in San Diego County. The COASTER Commuter Rail’s route runs North to South starting in Oceanside and ending in downtown San Diego.
The other modifications to the transit program will be implemented by the Transportation Advisory Committee, which consults with UCSD on fund allocation for expansions and adjustments regarding transportation programs for students. STAC, the student advisory council under TAC, is the forum representing student perspectives. STAC members consist of students from the Graduate & Professional Student Association, Associated Students, College Student Council members, and Transportation Services.
TAC will receive a portion of the funds collected from the Student Transportation Fee to allocate annually. Projects they are considering include enforcing the safety of current public transit routes and advocating for a fair and accessible transportation system for students through parking structures and other projects like carpooling services and emergency rides. STAC plans to release a survey for students to voice their opinions on current transportation services.
Under the committee’s oversight, the renewed U-Pass completely funds the Triton Transit Grocery Convoy Shuttle service, which is available on weekends. The route travels from UCSD’s main campus and the Mesa Residential Apartments to the grocery stores in Convoy.
Triton Mobility, which provides direct transportation for students with restricted mobility, will have expansions to their schedule fully funded by the referendum. The expansions extend Triton Transit and Triton Mobility hours of operation.
Additionally, on-demand campus services, which provide transit at night and when fixed routes are blocked, will receive full funds on their expansions on their hours of operation. STAC will also focus on replacing old transit vehicles with zero-emission vehicles to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Assistant Vice Chancellor of Transportation and Activation Joshua Kavanagh is responsible for overseeing STAC. In a statement to The Guardian, he shared STAC’s goals to incorporate student voices in transportation service decisions.
“Participation in the upcoming survey is the first step. STAC meetings are also open to the public and survey applicants will have the option to receive a calendar invitation to the meetings to make it easy to participate by zoom,” he said. “The committee will also be launching a website so that it’s easier for students to stay up-to-date and participate in committee activities.”
