The Secret Files Part Five: GO Student ID
BY DANIELLE LORENZ, COMPASS INTERNAL COORDINATOR
Do you take the GO Train or Bus semi-regularly, or regularly? If so, there is a way for you to save money, just by being a full-time student.
The application process is simple, there are only a couple of things you need to remember, and best of all you do save some money (w00t!). So read on to find out more!
Although GO Transit offers a variety of passes (one-way, two-ride, ten-ride, monthly, day pass etc) the GO Student ID Card is only valid for on your monthly and ten-ride passes. The good news? Ten-ride tickets have no expiry, provided that your GO ID is valid. Monthly passes are unfortunately only valid for the month they are issued. The discount varies by ticket and length of trip (as GO charges by distance, and not one flat rate), but you will save between 10% and 30% on your ticket. If you go home often (a few times a month), or commute to school, that translates to quite a difference.
For example, if you are traveling from McMaster to Square One (a very popular destination from Mac), a one-way ticket costs $7.35. An adult ten ride ticket is $67.00, while the adult monthly pass is $238.00. If you compare that to the student ride cost, you pay $60.00 and $147.00 respectively. That translates to a lot of savings!! If you buy six monthly passes (not buying them the months you have exams), you will save $546.00 over the course of the year! That’s...well...not a lot of textbooks, but it makes a HUGE difference! If you want to calculate how much you will save from another destination, you can use
GO Transit’s Fare Calculator.
GO Transit is an inexpensive means of travel to many places within the province. You can get as far east as Oshawa, as far north as Barrie, and to a whole lot of other places. If you would like to see exactly where GO Transit travels, please click
here.
So how do you apply for your GO Student ID? First there are some criteria you need to fulfill. You must be a full-time undergraduate (or graduate) student. This means you must be taking at least 18 units of courses. So provided you are taking nineteen units or more, you are good. You must also be a fully registered student. That is all you need in order to apply (simple, isn't it?).
If you are a CO-OP or internship student you can still apply. But you will not be able to fill out the online form, as you will not have enough units to do so. However, you can contact Kate and Jeff (who are incredibly awesome) in the ACT office, (
[email protected]) and they can direct you on an alternative method for getting your ID.
As I mentioned earlier, the process to get your GO Student ID card is really simple. First, log on to MUGSI. Go to your Non-academic Services. In the right-hand corner, under quick links, there is an option that says 'Apply for GO Transit ID card'. Click on it. A drop-down menu will come down. You will want to apply for the 2008 Fall/Winter Term. Then, hit submit. Provided you meet the criteria, you only have to pick up your card. To pick up your card, you will want to go to Compass (in the MUSC Atrium) the Thursday after you apply. If you happen to apply on a Wednesday, you may be able to pick it up the following day, but it depends on when Compass receives the cards.
A very important word of warning: DO NOT LOSE YOUR CARD! It is quite a difficult process for a student to get a new card. You are only able to fill out the online application once, so if you lose your card you will need to go about getting your card a different way. To do so you will need to contact the lovely people from ACT, and go through what I understand is a rather irritating process. So keep it your card a safe place!!
There is one thing you need to remember about having GO Student ID Card. You must have the GO ID and a valid student ID card with you while traveling. Failure to do so can result in a fine. I’m not sure exactly how much the fine is, but I’m pretty sure no one wants to lose any of the money they have. Typically, you are asked more on the GO train than on GO bus, but nevertheless make sure you keep the card with you at all times.
The applications are available on MUGSI right now, so you might as well fill it out as soon as you’re done reading this article.
So...apply now!!
GO!
Could we apply now, and then pick it up when we get to mac in sept..or does it have to be sooner then that? As well would first years count as "full registered" if we haven't payed our tuition yet.
