Employee bus passes available for purchase online
Madison Metro bus passes for UW–Madison employees will cost $24 this year. Online sales have begun, with delivery by mail. Over-the-counter sales begin Aug. 26.
Employee bus passes for the 2013-14 academic year are now available online.
Upon ordering, the passes will be delivered by mail in approximately four business days. The cost is $24. If an employee purchases online through payroll deduction, the cost is taken out pre-tax.
The Transportation Services website has information on ordering the 2013-14 bus pass.
Over-the-counter sales begin Aug. 26. If employees wish to purchase their bus pass at one of the Transportation Services office locations, they must present a WisCard or UW Health/Hospital ID to complete the transaction. For a complete listing of office locations and hours, visit the Transportation Services website has a complete listing of office locations and hours.
Employees without access to Internet should follow up with their supervisors. They will provide instructions on how to obtain a bus pass now.
Transportation Services, in partnership with the Associated Students of Madison, will continue to fully fund UW–Madison campus bus routes 80, 81, 82 and 84, which will still be fare-free.
Student bus passes are funded through ASM via segregated student fees and distributed through ASM. Students (including Graduate Assistants) must receive their passes from ASM.
Employees of affiliate organizations, including UW Foundation, WARF/WICell, Morgridge Institute for Research, Wisconsin Alumni Association, Wisconsin Crop Improvement Association and Wisconsin Historical Society must purchase their passes from their respective organizations. UW Health/Hospital employees will have the full cost of their bus pass paid for by UW Health.
Passes are good Sept. 1, 2013, through Aug. 31, 2014.
While offered free in the past, Transportation Services is charging for bus passes this year due to budgetary concerns. Transportation Services, in partnership with the Associated Students of Madison, will continue to fully fund UW–Madison campus bus routes 80, 81, 82 and 84, which will still be fare-free, and riders will not be required to swipe a pass.
Without an employee or student pass, a single ride on a Madison Metro bus is $2 with unlimited yearly bus passes costing $696. Approximately 15,000 employees currently hold a bus pass and an average of 7,000 use the pass each month. The passes generate about 1.5 million bus rides annually.
UW Transportation Services will continue to heavily subsidize the $1.8 million-per-year program. As an auxiliary enterprise, Transportation Services does not receive any state funding. It charges users in order to pay for parking garages and lots, bus service, and federal and state mandated alternative transportation activities.
It costs approximately $20 million to provide these services and programs to the campus community. Rates are set in compliance with university policy to cover only the cost of operating the department, including infrastructure and improvements such as new lots and garages.