• Home
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google +
  • Flickr
  • You Tube
  • Nick Bastian

Rail Life

Phoenix Light Rail News and Information

  • About RailLife
  • Events
  • Homes Near Light Rail
  • Phoenix Light Rail Map
You are here: Home / Light Rail / ASU students carry U-Pass for Metro Light Rail

ASU students carry U-Pass for Metro Light Rail

August 3, 2009 by Nick Bastian 3 Comments

Riding light rail between the Tempe and Phoenix campuses of ASU is pretty darn convenient. In fact, it is just about door to door service. While riding Metro light Rail or Valley Metro Bus, students can use their “U-Pass” to enjoy discounted fares. Un-like last year, the service will now cost $40.00 per semester for unlimited student use.

From PTS at ASU we learn that… “the Student U-Pass is $40 per semester or $80 for the academic year not including summer sessions. 2009-2010 U-Passes are valid July 1, 2009 – May 15, 2010. Students can pay $80 for the full academic year or $40 in the fall and spring semesters. Beginning summer 2010, summer session U-Passes, good for both summer sessions, will sell for an additional $25.”

For students that attend both campuses and don’t want to take advantage of the discounted U-Pass, ASU has a free shuttle available. Information on their site also mentions… “To assist students who are required to attend classes at the Tempe and Downtown Phoenix campuses, PTS is enhancing its free West-Tempe intercampus shuttle service. Beginning fall 2009, all buses on the West-Tempe intercampus shuttle route will make a stop at the Downtown Phoenix campus.”

ASU employees are eligible for discounted fares as well. Currently, the ASU site mentions University employees receive the pass for the discounted rate of $390 annually for a local transit pass and $520 annually for an express pass.

If using a U-Pass, students must validate every trip before boarding the light rail. The fare is validated by simply touching the back of your U-Pass to the orange card reader (“target”) located on the transit vending machine kiosk at each boarding station.

Upon touching a valid U-Pass to the orange target, an audible “ding” can be heard, the screen will display a “thank you” message and will show the expiration date of the U-Pass, and the target light will turn from yellow back to green. No type of printed confirmation or ticket is issued.

Since some returning students may not be aware of some of the  June 12th announcement’s , the PTS Frequently Asked Questions page is helpful for getting caught up on the latest information. For those of us not attending ASU, there are other light rail fare options to consider as daily, weekly, monthly passes can be purchased from Metro.

The $40.00 per semester U-Pass option might make a lot of $ense for students that don’t have a parking pass at any of the campus parking lots. The light rail park and ride lots are free of charge for people wanting to leave their car in the lot, hop on the train and get to the light rail stations at Rural/University, 5th and College or at Central/1st Ave and Van Buren.

Hey Devils… Your Life is on the line…

Filed Under: Light Rail, Phoenix Light Rail, Tempe Light Rail Tagged With: ASU, light rail fares, Phoenix Light Rail, Rail Life, Tempe Light Rail, U-pass

About Nick Bastian

Nick Bastian is a 29 year veteran of the real estate industry and can be reached at 602-803-6425. You'll also find him sharing real estate info on his web site and hanging out onTwitter.
Family man, lover of life, maker of friends. A bit of a geek, long time Tempe real estate guy just havin' some fun. What's your story?

Comments

  1. The Prose-fessional says

    August 4, 2009 at 3:55 pm

    Because I've never had a light-rail pass that you have to scan, I've always wondered how enforcement worked.

    Suppose an ASU student has a pass but doesn't validate it and gets on a train. A Metro officer walks by asking to see his ticket, and he shows his pass. How are they going to know if he scanned in or not? Do they have a scanner in their hands to scan the serial code to check? Does the validator leave some kind of mark on the plastic pass?

    Because if there's no possible way of enforcement, I probably wouldn't waste my time to validate the pass either.

    Reply
  2. Nick Bastian says

    August 22, 2009 at 3:59 pm

    Yes, they have hand-held scanners that can tell if a card was tapped. Probably not a good idea to call it a waste of time.

    Reply
  3. Nick Bastian says

    August 22, 2009 at 7:59 pm

    Yes, they have hand-held scanners that can tell if a card was tapped. Probably not a good idea to call it a waste of time.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RailLife

Thanks for visiting RailLife.com! We want to be your resource for all that is light rail in Arizona. Here, we share information about “life along the line.” Feel free to cruise around and to bookmark the site as information is added or changed often!

RailLife Uber Code

Good for $20 off your first ride with Uber! Use Promo code: RAILLIFE OR click here to get an Uber account: RailLife Sign up code

Search RailLife

Search for Homes

Looking for a home? Search NickBastian.com for your future home.

Homes Near Light Rail

45 Listings
Left Side Front

$399,000 1150 E TAYLOR Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006

43 E OREGON Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85012

$825,000 43 E OREGON Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85012

1130 E POLK Street, Phoenix, AZ 85006

$329,900 1130 E POLK Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006

1214 W HIGHLAND Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85013

$549,000 1214 W HIGHLAND Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85013

5207 N 11TH Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85013

$520,000 5207 N 11TH Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85013

1308 E Monroe Street, Phoenix, AZ 85034

$565,000 1308 E Monroe Street
Phoenix, AZ 85034

previous next

MLS IDX Listing Disclosure © 2022

Copyright 2021 Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. All rights reserved. Information Not Guaranteed and Must Be Confirmed by End User. Site contains live data.

Lakeside Living

7 Listings
945 E PLAYA DEL NORTE Drive, 5023, Tempe, AZ 85281

$530,000 945 E PLAYA DEL NORTE Drive, 5023
Tempe, AZ 85281

Tall ceilings and modern light fixtures!

$500,000 945 E PLAYA DEL NORTE Drive, 3003
Tempe, AZ 85281

945 E PLAYA DEL NORTE Drive, 4009, Tempe, AZ 85281

$509,900 945 E PLAYA DEL NORTE Drive, 4009
Tempe, AZ 85281

945 E PLAYA DEL NORTE Drive, 5020, Tempe, AZ 85281

$550,000 945 E PLAYA DEL NORTE Drive, 5020
Tempe, AZ 85281

945 E PLAYA DEL NORTE Drive, 4007, Tempe, AZ 85281

$520,000 945 E PLAYA DEL NORTE Drive, 4007
Tempe, AZ 85281

140 E RIO SALADO Parkway, 207, Tempe, AZ 85281

$849,000 140 E RIO SALADO Parkway, 207
Tempe, AZ 85281

previous next

MLS IDX Listing Disclosure © 2022

Copyright 2021 Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. All rights reserved. Information Not Guaranteed and Must Be Confirmed by End User. Site contains live data.

RailLife Posts

Looking For A REALTOR To Rock The Rail Life

Nowhere To Eat In Downtown Mesa

Could Coyotes Help Expand Tempe Streetcar?

Scott Smith Remaining as Valley Metro CEO

Banta Lawyers Up – Sues Valley Metro for $1.65 Million

© 2022 · RailLife · Developed by Marketing Press