News

The Otago Regional Council has announced that the 25 per cent tertiary discount on bus fares will become permanent. The trial period for the discount ran from 17 February to 30 April 2014 and was negotiated by OUSA as part of their plan to get more students to use the bus service. OUSA President Ruby Sycamore-Smith said that the permanent discount was “awesome news for students, especially those who still live at home in Dunedin and those who choose to live further away from the University.”

OUSA and the Otago Polytechnic Students’ Association (OPSA) have been lobbying the ORC for discounted student fares for the past decade. “The ORC made a smart move by giving the idea a trial period and pushing out free GO cards to students during Orientation Week,” said Sycamore-Smith. “We’d like to see the free GO cards repeated again next year with a new set of target markets,” she says. This year, free GO cards were given out to first-year students during Orientation Week. Sycamore-Smith hopes to have the promotion again next year, although she intends to target a different market such as locals or postgraduates. “For us it’s about helping those that need it most, but the idea of getting first-years to explore the city isn’t something that should be put on the chopping block altogether,” Sycamore-Smith said.

The trial period came at a cost. OUSA and OPSA stepped up to shoulder the cost of the discount so that the council would not be out of pocket. According to Sycamore-Smith, it was “definitely worth it.” The discount will lead to more students using the bus services over time, “especially when combined with incoming improvements to routes and timetables,” she said. For students who take the bus regularly, the discount could save them $10–$15 a week; for those living in places like Mosgiel, or who have to take multiple buses to get to campus, it could save them significantly more.

The 25 per cent discount is available to all GO cardholders with a current tertiary ID, meaning that Dunedin locals studying at other universities around the country could benefit from the discount when they are home for the holidays. “No matter the institution, this is one discount to rule them all!” said Sycamore-Smith.