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U-Pass FAQ’s
General
What is the U-PASS?
The CTA established the CTA U-PASS program for eligible full-time students at accredited‚ post-secondary‚ degree granting schools within the CTA service area. It is an attempt to provide a transportation program that will reduce demand for on-campus parking‚ reduce pollution‚ provide low cost transportation to students and increase access to the Chicago metropolitan area.
Each semester all eligible students are assessed a nonrefundable U-PASS fee entitling them to a nontransferable UIC CTA U-PASS valid for that semester. The U-PASS is good for unlimited use aboard all CTA buses and trains throughout the semester.
Who made the decision to require the fee?
The Board of Trustees approved the fee for full-time undergraduate students beginning Fall 2001 after a recommendation from the campus based upon significant student input‚ including two referenda. After a referendum for graduate students‚ the Board of Trustees approved the fee beginning Fall 2002 for full-time graduate students in the Graduate College‚ College of Pharmacy and School of Public Health.
After taking students’ overwhelming support of the U-PASS into account‚ the University Of Illinois Board Of Trustees approved a five year contract for the U-PASS at their July 13‚ 2005 meeting. The U-PASS student referendum passed with strong support. Of the 4941 total votes cast‚ 86% percent voted in favor of the U-PASS‚ while only 14% percent voted against the U-PASS.
The College of Medicine students voted in favor (72%) of having all classes eligible for the U-PASS beginning summer 2007.
Why is the U-PASS fee required?
The CTA requires the University to assess all eligible students in order for us to participate in this program.
I am disabled and cannot use the CTA. How do I get a waiver?
Contact the Office of Disability Services‚ (312) 413-2183; they will evaluate each request on a case-by-case basis. The disability must be documented and the CTA must be unable to accommodate the disability for a waiver to be granted.
How do I use the U-PASS?
The U-PASS works like a CTA fare card. It is inserted into the fare machines at CTA train stations and on CTA buses. NOTE: On CTA buses. If you insert your U-PASS into the money slot instead of the fare machine‚ your U-PASS will be captured.
When is the U-PASS valid?
The U-PASS will be valid for CTA travel during the semester‚ as well as the five days before classes begin and the five days after finals end (based on the official academic calendar).
Is the U-PASS valid on PACE buses?
The U-PASS is no longer valid on PACE buses. This policy was changed by PACE on January 1st‚ 2009.
I drive to campus / I don’t want the U-PASS. Can I get a refund?
No refunds can be issued. All eligible‚ full-time students will be assessed the fee.
Can I sell it or let a friend use it if I am not planning to use it?
No‚ the UIC CTA U-PASS is nontransferable and carries your photo and UIN. The CTA reserves the right to require a student to show a valid school identification card upon request. If this condition is violated‚ the U-PASS will be confiscated for the duration of the valid dates without reimbursement‚ and the person may be subject to arrest and prosecution.
Do students at other universities participate in this program?
Over 40 other universities and colleges in Chicago also participate in this program (e.g. Loyola‚ DePaul‚ Roosevelt‚ etc.). (Students at the Urbana campus of the University of Illinois also have a required transportation fee for public transportation in Urbana and Champaign).
How does the CTA determine the U-PASS fee?
The fee is determined based on the rate of payment to the CTA plus administrative costs to run the program.
Where can I get more information about the U-PASS?
You can visit the CTA’s U-Pass website.
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Replacement
What if my U-PASS is lost or stolen?
The CTA will issue one replacement for $50 (cash‚ credit card or money order only)‚ but only once per academic term. You need to go to the CTA headquarters located at 567 West Lake Street‚ 2nd floor‚ 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Mon-Fri with your i-card. (NOTE that the CTA will "void" your lost/stolen U-PASS (via the data on the encoded magnetic stripe). Since the CTA fare equipment reads the U-PASS encoding‚ once your old U-PASS has been voided‚ it is useless. The $50 is an administrative fee to the CTA to cover costs of verifying your eligibility‚ voiding your old card‚ making the new card‚ and updating their database with your new data; since these are real costs to them‚ the $50 is nonrefundable. The replacement U-PASS will be sent to UIC within 5 - 7 business days. You will be notified via e-mail when your U-PASS arrives.
What if my U-PASS is damaged or not working properly?
You must report your damaged U-PASS to the CTA. You need to go to the CTA headquarters located at 567 West Lake Street‚ 2nd floor‚ 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Mon-Fri with your damaged U-PASS and your i-card. You will be issued a 5-day transit card. They will order a new U-PASS for you‚ which will be sent to UIC. You will be notified via e-mail when your U-PASS arrives.
What if my U-PASS is captured in Fare Equipment?
If your U-PASS was captured on a bus‚ you must get a Customer Service Report from the bus driver. You will then need to bring your i-card and a copy of the Customer Service Report to the CTA headquarters located at 567 West Lake Street‚ 2nd floor‚ 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Mon-Fri. They will order a new U-PASS for you‚ which will be sent to UIC. You will be notified via e-mail when your U-PASS arrives.
If your U-PASS was captured in rail fare equipment‚ you must get a Fare Discrepancy Report from the Customer Assistant. The Customer Assistant will issue you a transit card. You will then need to bring your i-card and a copy of the Fare Discrepancy Report to the CTA headquarters located at 567 West Lake Street‚ 2nd floor‚ 8:00 am - 4:30 pm Mon-Fri. They will order a new U-PASS for you‚ which will be sent to UIC. You will be notified via e-mail when your U-PASS arrives.
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Eligibility
Who is eligible for a UIC CTA U-PASS?
According to the agreement between the CTA and UIC‚ the UIC CTA U-PASS is available each semester only to undergraduate students‚ and graduate students from the Graduate College‚ College of Dentistry‚ College of Medicine‚ College of Pharmacy‚ School of Public Health‚ and Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program who are registered at UIC full time for that semester. Students from the Graduate College must be registered for at least 9 credit hours (5 credit hours in summer) to be considered full time. All other students must be registered for at least 12 credit hours (6 in summer). (Note: Graduate students from the School of Public Health will need a minimum of 9 credit hours for fall and spring‚ and 5 credit hours for summer beginning in the Fall 2007 semester.)
Part-time students are not eligible nor are they assessed the fee.
Students in the Executive MBA program and other special programs that do not charge service fees are not eligible for the U-PASS program‚ nor are they assessed the fee.
Why do I have to be full-time to be eligible for a U-PASS?
The CTA requires that students must be full-time to participate in the program. Full-time status must be based on tuition and fees assessment. Students from the Graduate College are assessed full time tuition and fees if they have at least 9 credit hours (5 credit hours in summer). All other students are assessed full time tuition and fees if they have 12 or more credit hours (6 in the summer). Students who do not mee these requirements are not assessed full-time tuition and fees‚ and are not assessed the U-PASS Transportation fee.
Am I eligible for a U-PASS if I am a full time student but not taking all of my credit hours at UIC?
No. You must be a registered as a full-time student at UIC‚ which does not include any course work outside this university. There are no inter-university U-PASS programs.
I am a graduate student taking 8 credit hours and I have a 50% assistantship. The Graduate College considers me full-time. Why am I not eligible for a U-PASS?
UIC must provide the CTA with a list of full-time students who are eligible for this program. This is the official list provided by the Office of Registration and Records and reported to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Beginning fall 2006‚ this list will include Graduate College students with 9 or more credit hours (5 or more credit hours in summer).
What if I pickup my U-PASS‚ but then drop a course and fall below full-time status?
After the add / drop period each semester‚ we send an updated list of eligible students to the CTA.
If you have fallen below full-time status during the add / drop period‚ your name will not be on this list‚ and CTA will deactivate your U-PASS. The U-PASS fee assessment will be credited to your account.
After the add / drop period each semester‚ there are no refunds given for tuition and fees‚ including the U-PASS fee. If you drop or withdraw from a course and fall below full-time status after the add / drop period‚ you will still be responsible for the U-PASS fee‚ and your U-PASS will NOT be deactivated.
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Distribution
Why do I have to pick up a new U-PASS each semester?
The U-PASSes are issued on a per semester basis. Each semester your eligibility must be verified before a U-PASS can be issued.
When and where can I get my U-PASS?
Each semester distribution dates are scheduled and U-PASSes are distributed in the Student Services Building (located at 1200 W. Harrison‚ just south of the Racine Blue Line stop). Every student is sent an e-mail via the UIC MASSMAIL system with distribution dates prior to the distribution period. If a student chooses to opt out of MASSMAIL‚ they will not receive notification.
What do I need to do to get my U-PASS?
Bring your i-card to the SSB West Atrium during the designated distribution times. Your eligibility will be verified at the check-in station located on the 2nd floor south of SSB. You will be directed to either a distribution table for preprinted U-PASSes‚ or to a photo station to have a U-PASS prepared for you on site. If you choose to not pick up your U-PASS during the specified distribution dates‚ you may claim your preprinted U-PASS at the U-PASS distribution site in the ID Center‚ Room 1790 SSB. If your U-PASS was not preprinted‚ you may request that a late issuance U-PASS be ordered for you‚ either by making this request at the ID Center. Late issuance U-PASSes typically take between 5 - 7 business days to process. U-PASSes are shipped to UIC. You will be notified via e-mail once your U-PASS arrives.
Why was my U-PASS not preprinted?
In order for us to receive preprinted U-PASSes‚ we must provide the CTA with a list of students who are eligible to receive U-PASSes. Since UIC is the largest school participating in the U-PASS program‚ we must provide this list approximately 4 weeks in advance so that the U-PASSes can be prepared and delivered prior to the distribution period. If you are not registered for full time status at the time we provide the list to the CTA‚ your U-PASS will not be preprinted. Additionally‚ we send i-card photos of eligible students. If you did not have your i-card photo prior to the date we send the information‚ your U-PASS will not be preprinted.
Occasionally students who are registered on time and who have had their i-card photos on time do not have preprinted U-PASSes. This is usually due to a problem accessing the i-card photo. To assure that you can pick up your U-PASS at the start of the semester‚ attend distribution.
I am registered for less than full time status‚ but plan on registering for more courses and becoming a full-time student. Can I pick up my U-PASS?
No. We must verify that you are registered for full-time status prior to issuing you a U-PASS. Students registered for less than full time status are not eligible to receive a U-PASS. You must pick up your U-PASS after you have registered for full time status.
Why can’t I pick up my U-PASS without my i-card if I have other forms of identification?
We use the i-card to determine eligibility. At distribution‚ the magnetic stripe on your i-card is scanned to determine your eligibility for a U-PASS. All preprinted U-PASSes are also filed by the UIN number on the i-card. Since the CTA uses the UIN number on the i-card to determine eligibility for U-PASSes‚ students who must have photos taken and U-PASSes prepared at distribution must also provide their i-cards to avoid having their U-PASSes turned off after the tenth day of classes when we provide the CTA with an updated list of eligible students.
What if I can’t pick up my U-PASS during the scheduled distribution times?
You will be able to claim your preprinted U-PASS at the ID Center‚ Room 1790 SSB between 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM‚ Monday - Friday. You will need to bring your i-card. If your U-PASS was not preprinted for you‚ a late issuance U-PASS will be ordered. A late issuance U-PASS requires approximately 5-7 business days to process.
Why do I have to wait for a late issuance U-PASS during late distribution if my U-PASS was not preprinted?
CTA only provides photo stations during the initial distribution period. If your U-PASS was not preprinted and you did not have a U-PASS prepared on site during distribution‚ we must place an order for a late issuance U-PASS. At the time you request a late issuance U-PASS‚ your i-card photo must be sent to the CTA. CTA will then request a U-PASS to be prepared for you by their contracted vendor. The vendor prepares the U-PASS‚ and then ships it back to UIC.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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