Students use Halloween to express horror over rising transit costs

Carleton University students dressed as zombies and held a funeral procession Monday to protest a 17 per cent hike in the cost of a universal transit pass.

Executives from the university's undergraduate students' association call the hike the "death of affordable and accessible transit in Ottawa."

"We are incredibly disappointed that OC Transpo is saddling students with the most expensive U-Pass program in the country, just weeks after drastically cutting service to both the Carleton University and University of Ottawa campuses," said Chantle Beeso, Vice President Student Issues of the Carleton University Students' Association.

"It is adding insult to injury to expect students to pay more for less."

Students pay for the U-Pass through their tuition regardless of whether or not they want it or use it.

Beeso told CTV Ottawa students at Carleton University are still upset over the loss of route 117 when massive changes were rolled out last month. She added the price hike is another financial burden on top of paying some of the highest tuition fees in the country.

The U-pass currently costs students $145 per semester.

Student executives say it is not fair that they are facing a 17 per cent increase while all other transit fares will rise by 2.5 per cent.

The hike is set to happen in July 2012.

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  Students at Carleton University dressed as zombies and marched across campus to demonstrate dissatisfaction with a 17 per cent increase to the U-pass included in tuition fees.

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  Students at Carleton University pose with tombstones in front of an OC Transpo bus to symbolize what they call the "death of public transit" in the city of Ottawa.