Students tired of digging around for their bus passes may no longer have to.
The Associated Students of Madison Shared Governance Committee announced at their meeting Tuesday that they are taking steps to make student Wiscards function as bus passes. A pilot test of Edgewood College student IDs is in the works for this fall. According to Shared Governance Campaign Director Mara Matovich, this is very close to being finalized.
“I think having the bus pass automatically connected to the WisCard makes it a lot easier for students to use it, since they don't have to pick up a separate card, which with more convenience could lead them to using the pass more often,” Matovich said.
She added that privacy is one of the major reasons the transfer to Wiscards as bus passes hasn’t happened yet. If students use Wiscards as their passes, their daily movements could be tracked around campus through their student ID number.
“The fear is that if students have their IDs and numbers tied with their bus pass, then there would be the chance for privacy issues,” Matovich said.
Unlike student IDs, faculty ID numbers are already tied to their bus passes.
Currently, police don’t use this personal information, but they have questioned obtaining this information Matovich said.
“I would assume the majority of students wouldn't want their bus pass data collected and stored. We as college students are already a huge target audience for data collection and companies and groups who love to study our habits and develop loyal customers at our ages,” Matovich said. “While the bus pass is a bit different, I think the same thoughts can apply.”
The swiping technology on buses already allows Wiscards to be read as passes. According to Matovich, it’s now a matter of figuring out any potential bugs.
Students would no longer have to renew their bus passes every semester. Those enrolled for a full year would have their passes until the next fall term.
With the Wiscard operating as the new bus pass, ASM could save thousands of dollars because they would no longer have to pay the cost of printing the passes, according to Campus Transportation Committee student appointee Beau Burdett. ASM also wouldn’t have to pay students who give out the passes every semester.
“ASM negotiates with Madison Metro to determine funding for the bus pass program and the campus bus program (route 80s),” Burdett said in an email. “If ridership were to increase on the route 80s, Madison Metro may try to increase the amount ASM and Transportation Services pay in a future contract negotiation.”
According to Burdett, ASM, Transportation Services and University Housing together already pay $1.5 million a year for the 80 bus route. Currently, it is a $1.15 cost per ride, Burdett said. However, ASM would have to pay more if a greater number of students used the bus.
“I think it's a good thing that more students will have access to public transportation despite the potential increased cost,” Burdett said. “You will see higher demand due to the easier access with the Wiscard. There might be more buses/bus routes, and that's a good thing.”
