The UTA Ed Pass is being offered to Weber State students for free this year. The passes, which students can use on any UTA service, were previously $20.

The fee was instated about four years ago. After it was applied, UTA saw its ridership drop significantly.

Although UTA offered the services to Weber State students for free once they had the passes, the university had a financial contract with UTA. The $20 fee that was charged to students for the passes helped cover some of the costs in that contract.

“The contract was recently renegotiated and in doing so, the university and UTA worked out an arrangement,” said Crystal Taylor, director of Parking Services at WSU. “For the next 5 years there will be no additional charges to the faculty, staff and students for their Ed Pass.”

One of the Weber State Energy and Sustainability Office’s main goals is to reduce the university’s carbon footprint.

After conducting research, they found that a total of 34,894 metric tons of CO2 were being emitted simply from students, faculty and staff commuting to and from the university.

For students that are looking for cost-effective ways to travel to and from school, the UTA Ed Pass is a great benefit.

The average Utahan pays about $99 a month for car insurance, costing drivers about $1,188 a year to insure their vehicles. Gas costs are roughly $600 a year and maintenance costs can be anywhere between $600 and $1200. On top of all of the costs of owning and driving a car to school, a pass to park in W lots is $73.

The only cost associated with the UTA Ed Pass is the $50 replacement fee.

Although it seems all the benefits rest with the Ed Pass, one thing that can be more cost-effective with a car is time. Depending upon where students and faculty live, coming to Weber State by car can take anywhere between 15 to 45 minutes.

However, with frequent stops, riding the bus can take students and faculty anywhere between an additional one to two hours to get from their houses to the university.

As quoted from their website, the UTA Rideshare Mission states that one of their main goals is to “educate the community concerning alternative transportation options and promote those options that reduce single-occupancy vehicle usage, improve mobility, enhance air quality and conserve energy.”

The UTA Ed Pass is an important part of helping UTA fulfill this mission.

To research routes and bus numbers that cater to Weber State, visit www.utacommuter.com. To learn more about UTA and the services they offer, visit www.rideuta.com.

UTA Ed Passes can be applied for and obtained at the information desk on the second floor of the Shepherd Union Building.