On Campus

Montreal transit accused of ‘age discrimination’

Students over 25 not eligible for discount bus fares

A Concordia University student is accusing the Société de transport de Montréal of “age discrimination,” because students over 25 are not eligible for discounted bus fares. Desea Trujillo, 40, and a single mother of two recently started a letter writing campaign to STM calling for the policy to be reversed. In 2002, discounted fares were introduced for students, but only for those aged 25 and under. Younger students can purchase monthly bus passes for $41, while older students have no choice but to pay the full fare of $72.75. “All full-time students should also have access to the same reduced fares,” Trujillo said to the Montreal Gazette. STM’s vice chairman Marvin Rotrand, says the current discount already costs the city $22 million, a price tag that would rise as much as $10 million if students over 25 were included. “This is a societal choice and the additional costs would have to be defrayed from somewhere,” he said.

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