Facing high gas prices and a troubled economy, more and more students have turned to using their student bus pass as an affordable way to get around Madison, but that bus pass might not exist for much longer.

With bus ridership reaching unprecedented levels the bus program has become unsustainable and, unless the program is repaired, the student bus pass will cease to exist. To ensure that the program can continue into the future the Student Senate is putting forth a Commuter Services Referendum in an effort make the program sustainable.

The problem is one of numbers.

“Every time someone uses the bus pass we get charged for it,” said Jackie Dahlke, Student Senate advisor.

With ridership levels as high as they are, over 600,000 rides in 2010 alone, the program is costing more than funding allows. Currently the bus pass is funded by a flat fee included in the tuition of every degree-credit student at Madison Area Technical College. During the fall and spring, there is a $25 fee and a $15 fee during the summer. These fees are no longer enough and the program has found itself tens of thousands of rides over what it can afford to pay.

“The bus pass is a student funded program that exists because students wanted it,” Dahlke said.

The bus program was established by students for students. The program has provided students with over four million rides since its inception in 2000, and whether it will continue is up to the student body and if they are willing to pay a higher fee.

“Stuff costs money and if you don’t want this vote no,” Dahlke said.

The Commuter Services Referendum, coming up at the end of September, will be the student body’s opportunity to vote on the future of their transportation services. If the students vote in support of the referendum, a new funding structure will be created to help keep the bus pass and the shuttle funded. The old fee will be replaced with a transportation fee that will pay towards the bus pass, the shuttle and parking. This new fee will provide students with a bus pass as well as a parking permit, which under the current system is a separate $25 purchase. The exact details of the new fee are currently being worked out, with an exact dollar amount yet to be determined.

The Student Senate wants Madison College students to unite as a community and continues to support the bus program and other commuting services.

“Join the Student Senate, vote yes on the Commuter Services Referendum,” said Preston Boggs, Vice President of Communications. “We want everybody to vote yes, we want to show what we can do as a student body, because this will make a difference.”

The program is designed to benefit all Madison College students in the area.

“All students should support it, it ensures students have affordable, reliable transportation and can get to school,” said President Jennifer Johnson. “Last semester I was broke, I couldn’t afford to drive to Truax everyday. I used the shuttle and my bus pass to get to and from school.”

In addition to providing more affordable transportation options, the bus pass and shuttle help reduce parking congestion by reducing the number of people that have to drive to get to school.

If students vote no on the referendum, the student bus pass will end, most likely at the end of the 2011-2012 academic year when the contract with Madison Metro would need to be renegotiated. The campus shuttle would continue to be funded by student activity fees for now, and the parking permit would remain a separate $25 purchase.

If the buss pass were to go away, students wanting to ride the bus could pay $55 for a 31 day bus pass from Madison Metro, but those passes would add up to over $600 per year if bought each month, making the bus a much less affordable option for students.

The referendum will be during the fall semester. Voting will take place online at matcmadison.edu/senate.