The 7C Transportation Working Group is developing a plan to bring Los Angeles Metro’s U-Pass, a reduced-fare transit pass, to the 5Cs. The group said the program would expand student opportunities and reduce car dependency.
The group — composed of students from the Claremont Urbanists, a club for urban planning, and the Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC) Sustainability Committee — is advocating for the colleges to enroll in a pilot plan in which The Claremont Colleges Services (TCCS) would purchase U-Pass from LA Metro to give students who pay a one-time $2 fee unlimited rides across a network of 10 transit agencies.
Sydney Tai PO ’26, ASPC commissioner of facilities and the environment, introduced U-Pass to ASPC last fall. She connected with Jim Lam CM ’28, founder of the Claremont Urbanists, and the working group was born.
“I think increasing transportation accessibility democratizes access to mobility,” she said. “It enables underclassmen who might not have cars on campus to be able to explore the area more.”
If TCCS were to enroll in U-Pass, it would expand professional opportunities past Claremont, lowering economic barriers to transportation, according to Lam.
“I think it would really help level out the playing field for different folks that come from a variety of different backgrounds economically,” Lam said.
The working group launched a survey to gauge student interest at the Claremont Colleges on March 30. The final results from 757 responses came in on April 17, showing high student interest and modest growth in ridership.
Group members were encouraged by the level of student interest, saying it was high enough to justify the investment but not so high that costs would exceed the budget. Unlike the Foothill Pass, which costs TCCS $20,000 annually, U-Pass is priced per ride, meaning a sharp increase in student usage could make the program too expensive.
Despite survey data indicating only 1-2 rides per student with U-Pass per week, LA Metro has asked TCCS to pay for 10 student rides per student per week, bringing the pilot far out of budget for the colleges. The working group said they are in ongoing negotiations with LA Metro to get a new quote for a pilot based on more realistic ridership predictions.
The program would also reduce car dependency and benefit the environment, according to group members.
“LA is famously car-centric. We have a very hostile infrastructure for pedestrians and for transportation,” Tai said. “Having [fewer] cars on the road is not just better for other drivers because it lessens their traffic, but it is also better for the environment because there’s less emissions.”
Increased off-campus access could also help students learn more about the greater Inland Empire region, according to working group member Aaron Rogers PO ’26.
“We’re nestled in these nice liberal arts colleges and this nice affluent area,” he said. “So I feel like it’ll give students the opportunity to get out of that bubble and be able to explore areas that are not as privileged [and] as affluent as the Claremont Colleges.