Some post-secondary students in Ottawa are still reporting issues with their U-Passes.
The semester-long transit pass, which is included in students’ tuition, has been giving intermittent errors for some users, saying it has not been activated.
The U-Pass is used by students at Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, Algonquin College and St. Paul University.
The issue was flagged earlier this month as post-secondary classes resumed. OC Transpo told students to show their respective campus cards to bus operators in order to board if the error arose, and to contact customer service through ticket machines at O-Train stations in order to access the Confederation Line LRT.
In a notice on its student portal Friday, Carleton University said OC Transpo is extending the grace period for students who have this issue by one more week, to Sept. 20.
“The issue with OC Transpo’s payment terminals reading U-Passes persists for some students,” the notice said, one day after OC Transpo said the issue had been resolved.
“OC Transpo is extending the U-Pass grace period until Friday, September 20, 2024. This grace period is to allow OC Transpo time to implement a software fix. Students who have issues tapping their card on the bus or O-Train will be allowed to board if they show their Campus Card to the operator.”
Algonquin College and the University of Ottawa issued similar statements to their student bodies Friday.
“We are asking students to please continue to tap their AC Card + U-Pass each time they board a bus or train as OC Transpo works towards a solution,” Algonquin College said.
The University of Ottawa is asking students to hold onto receipts for fares paid due to U-Pass issues.
“Further instructions will be provided on next steps regarding fare reimbursements,” the university said.
The transit service said Thursday that students who continue to have issues should speak with the card services department at their respective institution.
CTV News Ottawa has reached out to OC Transpo for more information.