Student representatives from D.C. area universities met Sept. 9 with three Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority administrators and John Childers, president and CEO of the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area, to discuss implementing a student Metro discount.
By the conclusion of the meeting, each university representative agreed to inform WMATA of his or her school's most exact enrollment projections. Then, WMATA will create financial projections for a student discount. The meeting was an example of the progress being made in regards to this issue, according to Kyle Boyer, Student Association executive vice president-elect and junior at George Washington University.
"The project is in a phase where substantive financial models are being developed and tossed around," he said.
Chris Zimmerman, chairman of WMATA's board of directors, said he strongly supports this mission, which would encourage students to use Metro and other forms of public transportation and make them long-term transit users.
For the student discount to become a reality, all D.C. universities would need to support the idea, according to Boyer, Zimmerman and AU Student Government President Seth Cutter.
Cutter said he is optimistic that the pass will come together as WMATA has already backs the idea.
Students have been very involved in this effort, but now they must engage their administrations if results are to be seen soon, Boyer said.
"The best thing for all students to do is to get their university officials on the same page," he said. "This project has been mostly student-run from the start, but real discounts will require university support and subsidization."
Anthony Newman, director of AU's Risk Management and Transportation Services office, said his department would be happy to help facilitate this idea but it is up to the SG and the Office of Campus Life to make this initiative a priority.
The implementation of a semester-long, university-subsidized Metro pass is the best solution to the issue, Cutter said.
Boyer said he also believes a semester-long pass would be the best solution.
"I would like to see a 16-week unlimited pass, which of course would cost a fee," he said.
The pass would be paid for either through student fees or through another source, Boyer said.
"Each student paying the smaller fee dramatically reduces the cost for everyone," he said.
Andrew MacCracken, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, said he thinks the pass would be particularly beneficial.
"I have to commute to Metro Center three times a week for my job, which gets costly," he said. "By the end of the semester I'll have spent a little over $120 just to commute to work."
Boyer and Cutter said they are hopeful that D.C. students can propel this movement further.
"I believe that our goal can be realized," Boyer said. "While the ball may be in the administrators court, we as students can still keep the fire lit and see this through to reality."
Cutter told The Eagle last April that he would continue to work toward a student Metro fare discount during his term as president.
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