Schumer: UTRIP Puts SI College Students On Track For A Much-Deserved Mass Transit Discount

Statement

Standing at the College of Staten Island, today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced new legislation that will--for the first time ever--provide funding for a national college student discounted transit fare program, which would help alleviate the financial burden of commuting to and from college or grad school using mass transit services like the subway, public bus system and Staten Island Railway (SIR). Schumer's University Transit Rider Innovation Program (UTRIP)will provide the financial support needed for transit agencies to off-set the additional costs of providing discounted student fares. Schumer explained that every day thousands of Staten Island college students commute to either a local college on Staten Island or via the bus and/or subway to a college in another borough. The cost of the students' unlimited 30-day MetroCard adds up to more than $1,300 each year. Schumer said that this can often be too expensive for struggling college students to afford. Schumer's legislation will help provide discounted transit fares for college and grad students which will make commuting to and from school more affordable and help ease roadway congestion by providing an incentive to use mass transit.

Schumer's legislation works by offering additional federal funding to any transit agency that offers college students a discount of at least 25%. Schumer says this kind of plan is an all-around win because it will save college students money, reduce their commuting costs, increase mass transit ridership, ease congestion, decrease cumulative pollution and provide additional federal support to struggling transit agencies.

Schumer was joined by CSI President Dr. William Fritz and CSI students.

"When it comes to the cost of commuting back and forth to college from Staten Island, quite frankly, our students feel like they're being taken for a ride," said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. "Unlike other services--even restaurants--that offer college students a well-deserved discount, transit agencies almost never have a program in place that gives college students a bit of a break. The point of this legislation is to give college students some relief -- because so many are working so hard to pay tuition and are also taking on large amounts of debt to get by -- while at the same time working to ensure cash-strapped transit agencies like the MTA don't have to shoulder the burden. Over time, a plan like this will lower other costs, too. Whether it's the wear and tear on our bridges or the costs of beating back pollution -- helping our next generation become transit riders is a critical national issue with limitless benefits."

Senator Schumer continued, "In today's global marketplace there are few things more important than a college education, but that is getting more and more expensive all the time. Making that education a little more affordable for families and students via a well-targeted plan to defray high commuting costs makes all the sense in the world and is an investment that will pay huge dividends down the line for the students we help -- and our whole economy."

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