What is the U-Pass Program?

The U-Pass BC program provides students with universal, accessible and affordable access to public transit across the Metro Vancouver Region.

The U-Pass BC program costs $170 per academic term or $42.50 per month (subject to change) and is mandatory for all members of UBC's Alma Mater Society (AMS), excluding students who are enrolled in strictly distance education courses. The cost is included as part of your AMS student fees. Students voted in a referendum to keep the U-Pass program and in 2019, 95% of students elected to participate in the U-Pass program.

Getting a Compass Card

Compass Cards can be purchased for $6 from TransLink’s FareDealers (including the Access Desk and cashiers at the UBC Bookstore). For a list of TransLink’s retailers, please refer to their website.

If you’re already using an adult-class Compass Card as a retail customer, you can load the U-Pass onto your card.

Requesting Your Monthly U-Pass Benefit

For each month that you are eligible for a U-Pass you will need to make a request online to link your U-Pass and Compass Card. You can make the request anytime on or after the 16th of each month to ensure you can ride transit the following month. Set yourself a reminder - on your phone, in your diary. You can complete the request using a smartphone, tablet, or desktop computer.

Steps to request your monthly pass:

Visit upassbc.translink.ca Select UBC as your Post-Secondary Institution Enter your CWL login and password when redirected to UBC Link your Compass Card if prompted, request your U-Pass BC benefit Allow up to 24 hours for activation

It can take up to 24 hours for your U-Pass BC to load on to your Compass Card. Be sure to log in and request your benefit well in advance of the start to each month. Don’t get stuck without a transit pass.

Using Your Compass Card

Riding transit with your Compass Card is easy: tap in when entering a bus or tap in and tap out when you are entering and leaving a Skytrain station through a fare gate. Card readers are located at all SkyTrain, Canada Line, and SeaBus fare gates, near bus doors, and at the entry and exit points to West Coast Express stations.

Your Compass Card must be tapped in to be considered a valid proof of payment.