Frequently Asked Questions

If you are a U-Pass eligible student and use Para Transpo, you need to contact OC Transpo at 613-560-5000 to link your Campus Card to your Para Transpo account. When calling, have your proof of enrollment, Para Transpo ID, and student number ready. This setup is necessary to ensure seamless access to Para Transpo services with your Campus Card. 

Yes, the U-Pass can be used on the LRT. Please note that the O-Train Line 2 will remain closed until fall 2024. During this extended closure, Line 2 buses will continue to provide service between South Keys and Bayview Stations, with stops on Campus Avenue and University Dive at Carleton.

If you meet one of the eligibility criteria to opt-out of the U-Pass, you can submit a request through Carleton Central. Please see the following link for details on the opt-out process.

Starting this fall, your Campus Card is valid for any OC Transpo and STO public transportation services. All Campus Card’s can be tapped on the card reader upon boarding the bus or any O-Train station.

If you’re in need of assistance of how to get around Ottawa using OC Transpo or STO, check out the following trip planners available to you,

• OC Transpo Bus Planner (http://plan.octranspo.com/plan)
• STO Bus Planner (https://www.planibus.sto.ca/hastinfo/)
• Students can also check out the OC Transpo website, and download some of their suggested transit apps (http://www.octranspo.com/en/plan-your-trip/travel-tools/app-gallery/)

The Universal Transit Pass (U-Pass) is a discounted fare offered through Carleton University’s partnership with OC Transpo. The U-Pass program is the result of successful referendums in 2012 and 2016, organized by the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) and Graduate Students’ Association (GSA). Subsequently, contract negotiations were completed between the University and OC Transpo, resulting in a legally binding agreement which provides a discounted transit fare to all eligible students.

Eligible students are entitled to unlimited travel on OC Transpo and the Société de transport de l’Outaouais (STO) in Gatineau. Only Para Transpo service to rural zones requires a supplemental fare.

U-Pass periods are September 1 through April 30 (fall / winter), and May 1 – August 31 (summer), inclusive.

Important Dates

Eligibility Requirements

For information about the price of the U-Pass, visit our fee information page.

For information about program eligibility, visit our eligibility page.

For distribution and renewal dates, visit our important dates page.

For information about becoming ineligible for the program, visit our eligibility page.

If you become ineligible for the transit pass during a term period (September 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025, or May 1 to August 31, 2025), your card will be automatically deactivated. This deactivation will occur every night at 2:59 a.m. after OC Transpo and STO operating hours, allowing students to use transit for the remainder of the day after becoming ineligible to ensure safe transportation is available from campus. 

In order to pick up your Campus Card you will need a piece of government-issued photo ID to the Campus Card Office (407 Nideyinàn). Friends, family, or other third parties may not pick up the pass on your behalf.

New students should follow the process to apply online for their student ID and U-Pass.

Residence students who applied online by the deadline will receive their card in their move-in package.

Please visit Manage your U-Pass.

The U-Pass fee will be automatically added to your Student Account when you become eligible.  The fee can be paid at the same time that you pay tuition. See Student Accounts Receivable for more information.

Due to the elimination of the public tax credit as of July 1, 2017, the 2017 U-Pass tax receipt only includes eligible winter 2017 U-Pass amounts and half of any summer 2017 U-Pass amounts. Amounts paid for the second half of summer 2017 or the fall 2017 and onwards are not eligible for the public transit tax credit.

A lost card is considered to be in the students’ possession for the purposes of fee assessment. For information on replacing your U-Pass, visit Manage your U-Pass. If you have become ineligible and cannot find your card, please email campuscard@carleton.ca from your Carleton email account.

• You can return it to any lost and found location on campus;
• You can bring the U-Pass to the OC Transpo Operator or any OC Transpo Customer Service Station; or
• You can drop it off at any Canada Post mailbox and the U-Pass will be returned to OC Transpo. Postage guaranteed by: OC Transpo, 1500 St. Laurent Blvd., Ottawa, ON K1G 0Z8.

Based on the CUSA and GSA referendums, the U-Pass is a mandatory program. All eligible students must participate. Some exceptions do apply.

Unfortunately, choosing to drive a personal vehicle is not one of the available options to opt-out of the program. We suggest you consider using OC Transpo’s Park and Ride service to save on gas and parking costs when travelling to campus.

Yes. There are specific criteria in our contract that allows a student to opt-out of the U-Pass. Please visit our opt-out page for more information.

A refund will be applied to your Student Account within 2 business days. The refund amount is based on the date of the opt-out submission.

Students typically do not take a full course load (1.0 credits per semester) during the summer due to full-time work or other commitments. In addition, summer sessions are half the length of fall and winter terms, so summer courses are condensed to fit in the same content over a shorter period. Due to the nature of this schedule, students taking 1.0 credits in these sessions often have a similar workload to full time students in the fall or winter semesters. For these reasons, the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA) requested this requirement be included in the summer U-Pass referendum.

If you have concerns regarding eligibility requirements of the Summer U-Pass, please connect directly with your respective student association.

If you complete 1.0 credits in the early summer session, you are not able to receive a refund for or opt-out of the remainder of the pass period.  This requirement has been built into the Summer U-Pass program to ensure the program remains financially viable.

Students are only charged for the U-Pass when enrolled in full-time studies (minimum 1.5 credits per term). Students on an incoming exchange will therefore only be charged for the term in which they are at Carleton University and enrolled in full-time studies.

Outgoing exchanges processed through the ISSO are automatically opted out and as such, do not need to complete an opt-out application form. Students will receive a confirmation email in mid-August once thier opt-out has been processed. Students are not required to return thier Campus Card as their U-Pass will be automatically deactivated.

If your exchange is not coordinated with the ISSO, you are required to opt-out of the U-Pass.