UPASS at GW
Learn about the existing option for affordable transit.
Updates on the other options will be added once the report comes out.
What is UPASS?
The University Pass program or UPASS is a program run by the Washington Area Metro Transit Authority(WMATA) which provides students at participating colleges in DC a Metrocard with unlimited rides on Metrobus and Metrorail in exchange for a mandatory student fee of roughly $1 per day in the academic year. American University and several smaller DC universities currently participate in the UPASS program..
Why should GW Join a UPASS system?
Transportation is a vital tool that allows GW students to realize the social, professional and academic opportunities DC has to offer, whether by traveling to an internship, coming to GW from off-campus housing or just exploring DC outside of Foggy Bottom. For many students, particularly those who live off campus or are low-income, transportation costs are a significant addition to the already prohibitive cost of attending GW. By participating in UPASS, GW would significantly reduce the cost for those students who already rely on WMATA transit, remove a barrier for low-income students to explore DC and take advantage of the city’s professional opportunities, and reduce the transit costs and carbon emissions of students switching to Metro from using ride-sharing services like Uber.
How much would it cost?
For GW students, the UPASS fee would be a mandatory tuition fee at the beginning of each semester of around $130, or $1 per day in the academic year. That pricing means that students would only have to take at most 2 round trips on Metrorail each week to realize savings. For students taking more or longer trips, or traveling during rush hour the savings would be even higher.