TransLink says the theft and illegal sale of U-Passes is costing the company millions of dollars, and could result in the end of the popular student transportation program.
Roughly 80,000 U-Passes were distributed to students across B.C. this year, and spokesman Ken Hardie said tens of thousands more will go out this fall as Douglas College, Kwantlen Polytechnic and BCIT join the program.
The company estimates it loses millions per year in misplaced, stolen or sold U-Passes – many of which are openly listed for sale on websites such as Craigslist.
"We're dealing with a level of fraud and misuses with the U-Passes that we really don't feel we should be subsidizing," Hardie said. "The potential is that it's going to get worse and we don't want that."
TransLink has asked Craigslist to help flag illegal U-Pass sales, but Hardie says the site has not responded to phone calls, emails or faxes.
"We've informed them through every channel we know that this is not a legal activity," he said. "Further, they remove any notices we post warning students not to sell or buy U-Passes."
TransLink is now meeting with post-secondary institutions to discuss a new U-Pass contract and a possible information campaign aiming to warn students about the potential consequences of selling their passes.
Anyone caught using someone else's U-Pass can receive a $173 fine, and could even face charges.
"They're actually committing fraud; they're impersonating someone else," Hardie said. "Maybe it will take a couple fraud charges to really put a chill on things."
There's also a possibility student cards will be merged with TransLink's electronic fare card, named Compass, though the launch is still years down the road.
That would give the company the power to remotely deactivate cards that have been replaced or reported stolen.
