OC Transpo says students with malfunctioning U-Pass can be reimbursed for fares paid out of pocket

An OC Transpo bus is seen in this undated image. (Leah Larocque/CTV News Ottawa)

OC Transpo says some post-secondary students in Ottawa who have had issues with their U-Passes, are eligible for refunds for any fares they had to pay out of pocket.

The semester-long transit pass, which is included in students' tuition, has been giving intermittent errors for some users, saying it has not been activated.

The U-Pass is used by students at Carleton University, the University of Ottawa, Algonquin College and St. Paul University.

The issue was flagged earlier this month as post-secondary classes resumed. OC Transpo told students to show their respective campus cards to bus operators in order to board if the error arose, and to contact customer service through ticket machines at O-Train stations in order to access the Confederation Line LRT.

In a statement to CTV News Ottawa, OC Transpo's manager of transit technology and innovation, Raouia Howarth, said there was an issue with the data transfer process for some cards.

"Each U-Pass card is unique and we were able to identify a small batch that were not being validated when tapped at our fare readers. With the new card technology that combines the U-Pass and the student card, post-secondary institutions send U-Pass activation data to OC Transpo. Working with our vendor, we determined that a problem was occurring during the data transfer process. This issue was fixed using a software patch which allowed us to successfully receive the data once resent. This has allowed for affected students to tap their card and activate their U-Pass," Howarth said.

OC Transpo says students who continue to have issues should speak with the card services department at their respective institution.

"They can continue to show their U-Pass to bus operators or at ticket machines. Any students who are eligible for a U-Pass and had to pay for their fare during this technical issue are entitled to a refund and can contact our customer service team," said Howarth.

In a notice on its student portal Friday, Carleton University said OC Transpo is extending the grace period for students who have this issue by one more week, to Sept. 20.

"The issue with OC Transpo’s payment terminals reading U-Passes persists for some students," the notice said, one day after OC Transpo said the issue had been resolved.

"OC Transpo is extending the U-Pass grace period until Friday, September 20, 2024. This grace period is to allow OC Transpo time to implement a software fix. Students who have issues tapping their card on the bus or O-Train will be allowed to board if they show their Campus Card to the operator."

Algonquin College and the University of Ottawa issued similar statements to their student bodies Friday.

"We are asking students to please continue to tap their AC Card + U-Pass each time they board a bus or train as OC Transpo works towards a solution," Algonquin College said.

The University of Ottawa is asking students to hold onto receipts for fares paid due to U-Pass issues.

"Further instructions will be provided on next steps regarding fare reimbursements," the university said.