Students have approved a fee increase that will be used by the University’s Office of Transportation Services to improve bus service and amenities.
A referendum to increase the student-assessed transit fee was developed by the Student Government Association. Students voted to raise the fee from $25 to $50 for the fall and spring semesters, and from $12.50 to $25 for the summer semester.
The referendum was approved by a 939 to 854 vote, according to results posted Tuesday to the SGA’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ulsga.
Students voted online by logging on to the University’s ULink system Monday and Tuesday. Voting ended at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Complete election results, including for SGA offices and Senate positions, will be released once they are tabulated and finalized.
Robin Roy, SGA vice president, said the SGA created the referendum based on requests from many students for upgraded bus service.
The University’s Office of Transportation Services doesn’t receive funding from the University or the state. Its three sources of revenue are parking permits, tickets and a self-assessed student fee.
Revenue raised from the fee increase could fund several initiatives, including adding leased buses to the fleet of 11 buses and three shuttles owned by the University. Eventually, leased buses could replace those owned by the University.
The additional funding could also be used to pay for installing more bus stops and for parking garage maintenance.
For more information, visit http://sga.louisiana.edu/node/65