Students vote ‘yes’ for 2026 spring U-Pass

by | Jun 12, 2025 | News

Students have made it clear: they want a spring U-Pass. From June 7-11, students voted in NAITSA’s first ever spring U-Pass referendum. 26.1% of eligible students voted, and the referendum passed in an overwhelming majority with 90.1% of voters saying yes.

Starting in 2026, students enrolled in the Spring term will now have access to the Universal Transit Pass until 2028, joining three other post-secondary institutions in Edmonton. After 2028, NAITSA will need to renegotiate the contract with the city.

“We’re very happy to support students,” said Danielle Libunao, NAITSA’s VP Academic and Deputy Returning Officer. She announced the unofficial results at the NAITSA office on June 11, with official results posted on NAITSA’s social media channels on June 12.

Libunao thanked students for their engagement in the referendum. “Your voice matters, and your engagement has helped shape the future of transit access for Spring Term students,” she said. 

VP External Robin Murillo shared similar thoughts. “Thank you for getting involved,” he said to students in an interview with the Nugget. “At the end of the day, this is your decision and this is what matters.” 

Spring students will pay $180 in 2026, $182.50 in 2027 and $185 in 2028—the same rates students pay in fall and winter semesters. According to NAITSA’s website, since monthly bus passes have been replaced with Arc Cards, the U-Pass saves students between 38 and 63 per cent. 

“The referendum and the voting, the turnout, says it all” said Murillo. “It’s very beneficial, not only in terms of the monthly cost they [students] save in a month. If you look at it in a broader sense, you don’t just use public transport just for going to school. You also use it for leisure, even for work, so it’s a package.”  

This is NAITSA’s first referendum on spring U-Pass, despite the transit pass being available since 2010. Earlier this year, NAITSA also held a referendum alongside the Executive Council Election to renew the fall and winter U-Pass contract with the City of Edmonton for three more years. 89.7% of voters in that referendum voted yes, with 41% of eligible voters hitting the polls. 

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