GoTo bus pass returning in increments
By Torleif Sorenson
Metro Transit’s GoTo College Pass has returned at the normal price to Metropolitan State University. The card permits students at several Twin Cities universities unlimited rides on buses and light rail for an entire semester. The cards sold out during the 2008-09 school year and while the initial quantity available will be smaller, administration is leaving open the possibility of acquiring more cards.
The card is similar to the popular U-Pass offered at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities; the GoTo Pass provides students the opportunity to ride buses and trains operated by Metro Transit, Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, Southwest Transit and other affiliated organizations.
Still a bargain
Even at full price, the GoTo card is a bargain, especially for low-income students who cannot afford to drive, but during the past fall and spring terms at Metropolitan State, the GoTo pass was partially subsidized with about $7,000 from the Student Senate and administration. As a result, the 100-card allotment for each semester sold out before classes even began.
Administration and Student Senate agreed that the subsidy benefited only a small percentage of students who were fortunate enough to purchase a card before they were gone.The regular cost of a GoTo card is $175, based on a 100-trip multiple of the non-rush hour fare of $1.75.
As of press time, Administration plans an initial offer of 15 GoTo cards, but the University’s Vice President of Finance and Administration, Murtuzza Siddiqui, leaves open the possibility of acquiring more if enough student interest exists.
The reason for the small quantity is that Metro Transit only offers the cards to local universities as a full sale; previously the cards were on a consignment basis. If any quantity of bus cards doesn’t sell, the university is essentially stuck with the lost cost of the unused cards.
In an interview with The Metropolitan, Siddiqui said, “If I know there are 25 students interested in the card, then we can plan for a fast turnaround. With 150 to 200 students, it requires a little more planning because we have to present the money to Metro Transit up-front before we can make these cards available for purchase by our students.”
Security concerns
Security may also play a role in Siddiqui’s decision to start with a smaller quantity. “It’s not an issue of the university not wanting to do this, but we are talking about cards with a significant cash value, and there are lots of logistical things we need to monitor when we do this. We’re willing to do the work, but we also need to maintain a secure environment for those cards.”
Cost-benefit analysis
Administration and the Student Senate have both concluded that while the sale of subsidized GoTo cards was popular last year—the cards sold out before each term be-gan—this use of student activity fees benefited only a small number of students who were fortunate enough to get a card before the supply was gone. Siddiqui says, “Is this the best possible use of funds? That’s the question that, as a CFO, I am asking. Can that amount of money buy something that benefits a larger group of students?”
The sober, dispassionate answer to that question is ‘yes,’ which is why the university will revert to offering the card at full price, as it did during spring 2008 term.
As of press time, if the first batch of GoTo College cards sells out, Siddiqui actually requested that students not contact the Financial Management Office directly to express their interest, since administration still needs to coordinate a large-scale effort with Metro Transit. But the proverbial doors to Metro Transit buses and trains are still open for Metropolitan State students this fall.