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Opinions

Pissed off about passes

TransLink’s fare system is a travesty

By Gurneev Panesar

semester, and boy was I pumped

about going back to school and learning some new stuff! I woke up at 6 a.m. on the first day to catch my bus. By now, my December U-Pass was a thing of the past, and so I had to buy a ticket for maybe the second time in my life. As we got to Scott

|: was the first day of winter

hea

Road Station, I looked at the back of my ticket and saw that it said three zones, so I assumed it was okay for me to continue onwards. I hopped onto the SkyTrain and waited to

get off at New Westminster—that’s when I saw the police.

My heart wasn’t exactly pounding—I hadn’t done anything wrong, since my ticket had that assuring three under the zones

section. However, the police informed me otherwise. Confused and baffled as all hell, I watched as the police officer wrote me a ticket for $173 because I had failed to pay an extra $1—yet on the back of my ticket, the number of zones read three! I tried my best to explain the situation to the officer but he wouldn’t hear it. I found it awfully harsh, since I was a student and

we were only down the street from the college. Even the fact that I had all of my previous U-Passes on me wasn’t proof enough to him that I really didn’t have a secret agenda.

What puzzled me the most is why my ticket read valid for three zones. All I see at a machine is a map divided in three different colours saying zone one, two, and three. Do the math with me guys: if you're going from green to red, that’s two zones right?

Well apparently not! What I fail to understand is why they don’t just put up a big bold sign that reads: “if you're crossing the bridge, this is the amount you must pay.”

An average student budget wouldn't be able to afford the ticket I was handed. The transit system needs to work on the specificity of their maps and zone fares. English is my first language, so I can only imagine what foreigners or immigrants who aren’t familiar with English have to go through when trying to figure out the silly system. I’m sure that by now most students are used to travelling via U-Pass, but when the occasion arises that we do need to purchase tickets, we need to be prepared.

Politician plays the part, while avoiding actual action

Jagrup Brar’s time on welfare is nothing more than a publicity stunt

By Jacey Gibb, Opinions Editor

long with the new year comes a fresh batch of laughable political ploys

being launched for the public

to eat up like spinach dip at a dinner party. Late last year, it was announced that Surrey MLA Jagrup Brar would be embarking on a month-long stunt of living off of $610 for the entire month—which is the same amount that BC residents on welfare must live off of.

You're telling me that it’s difficult to live off of $610 a month in the Lower Mainland? No shit. Next thing you know, they'll be informing the public that eating poutine everyday will make you fat. Since I’m a student living off of student loans, I’m not the most qualified person to comment on the state of liveability. But I’ve listened to enough of my friends’ stories to know something is seriously wrong in this city.

Take my roommate for example. He was lucky enough to find a full-time restaurant kitchen job for a respectable $13 per hour. He works evenings, five nights a week and does a bit of

standardized patient work for UBC on the side. His cheques average a bit north of $700 every two weeks, working out to $1400 a month. A decent amount to live off of right? Well, let’s take off the $610 a month we each pay for rent in our two- bedroom apartment. Next is his monthly bus pass, something a person needs if they plan on being a productive member of society. So that’s another $81 automatically spoken for. Then there’s his cellphone bill, which thanks to the smart phone his parents got him for Christmas, is over the $60 mark. Already more than half of his full- time wage is a write off, with about 44 per cent going solely towards rent. So yeah, living’s expensive. You could say that Jagrup accepting the Welfare Challenge— which was proposed by the organization Raise the Rates—is a noble action, drawing attention to the welfare system’s current shortcomings. But the people being affected the most by poor economic conditions are already aware of what life is like relying on the system! Plus, Jagrup’s venture only lasts until the end of January. Not sure about you, but I’ve had colds

that lasted longer than that. After the

31 days are up, he'll be returning to his normal routine—whereas people who are actually living on welfare don’t have the option to return to a life as a civil servant. Kind of a dick move, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, publicly admitting

how difficult they have it, and then going back to your own life, one where food and shelter aren’t a daily concern.

All I see when I look at the whole Welfare Challenge is likely what Jagrup does too: a photo-op goldmine. A crucial device in a politician’s utility belt is appearing like an everyday Joe, one who’s relatable to you and I. Instead of spending time garnering public support, maybe politicians should focus on doing their job and making changes to the clearly flawed system.

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