Retro Metro: Celebrating 35 years of the U-Pass with the University of Washington

If you were there, you’d remember it was a typical damp and foggy fall quarter in 1991 on the University of Washington campus – but all the world was electric as Nirvana and Pearl Jam delivered the grunge explosion, and the Huskies were crushing all opposition on their way to an undefeated national football title.

Traveling between classes and concerts and games, tucked in students’ pockets, purses and backpacks, a revolution in transportation was brewing that would shift how people traveled in the Puget Sound region.

The U-Pass was born

Long before ORCA readers and the cheerful “boop” of tapping when you board, UW students could buy their own keys to freedom called the U-Pass. $20 for a quarter of unlimited rides was a bargain compared to the $1 per trip regular bus fare. Good for trips on Metro and Community Transit buses, the U-Pass connected students to the classes on campus, jobs and expanded opportunity.

The U-Pass debuted as a “flash-pass” that you held up to show the driver, with a new bright sticker for each quarter. Transit use skyrocketed by 35%, drive-alone rates dropped and campus parking lots were eventually repurposed for academic needs.

The benefits remain clear: Full buses and mass transit connections to campus reduced climate pollution, proved the ridership demand was there and ultimately paved the way for future Link light rail connections to campus.

How many people did it help? It’s safe to say tens of thousands of people have carried a U-Pass in the past 35 years. It saved students money that helped them buy more pay rising tuition, textbooks, and more Top Ramen to power their education.

Happy birthday U-Pass and thanks for all the years together!