2:1 Formal Report Proposal (Revised) – Daniel Kim

To: Dr. Erika Paterson

From: Daniel Kim

Date: February 23rd, 2023

Subject: Proposal to Increase Affordability in Transportation for UBC students and staff members

Introduction:

With over 10,000 students and faculty members at UBC coming and going throughout the day, affordable transportation is one of the most significant issues amongst the UBC population. Despite UBC’s efforts to build various parking lots such as West, North, Rose, Health, Fraser, and Thunderbird parkade, the pay for parking has increased annually, all while the prices of gas, and vehicles have also increased in price; leading to a squeeze in students and staff ability to comfortably and affordably commuting to campus. Inflation is an issue that requires consistent attention so that the university fluently runs; however, the current trend is leaning far more towards unaffordability.

Intended Audience:

My intended audience includes UBC’s President, Professor Deborah Buszard, and AMS Council and Committee.

Statement of Problem:

UBC’s parking, gas, vehicles, and bus pass prices have increased annually over the past decade. The annual increase in the pricing of these significant transportation options and affiliations limits students and staff members to commute to campus affordably.

Proposed Solution:

• Increase UBC’s involvement in promoting alternative transportation options such as using e-scooters, bicycles, car-pooling, Evo, and buses

• UBC’s offering discounted Upasses

• Offering student and staff discounts for rental cars such as Evo

• A web page that lays out the most cost and time-efficient methods of transportation

Scope:

To assess the methods of making transportation more accessible for all members of UBC, I plan to pursue these six areas of inquiry:

1. How much revenue does UBC’s parking generate annually? 
2. Are there any possibilities of creating discount prices for UBC students and staff members with car rental companies already associated with UBC, such as Evo?
3. What are some of UBC’s plans to help promote affordability in transportation methods for students and staff members who commute to the school daily?
4. What additional resources will UBC require to create an accessible web page for all possible transportation?
5. Has there been an increase in demand for parking passes at UBC? If so, by how much or how much has it decreased?
6. Is UBC’s current agreement with Translink reviewed annually? Are there ways to re-negotiate terms to lower the cost of bus passes?

Methods:

My method to gain insight into my inquiries will come in two ways. The first method is that I will interview UBC’s Urban Planning Committee and the AMS Council to gain information on UBC’s current budget for UBC parking, resource allocation in terms of assisting transportation for UBC members, and gain insight on resources that will be needed to apply my solutions. The second method is that I will create and distribute a survey to examine and evaluate the student and staff’s overall perceptions of the transportation methods to UBC. Collecting this data will address the areas of inquiry and validate the motivation of this proposal.

Qualifications:

With my experience working as a data analyst intern, I gain experience collecting data,  analyzing the data, and formulating strategies to help rectify an issue or create a plan to further assist within my working field. Moreover, my experience gave me exposure to speaking to clients and stakeholders, which will be invaluable as I will be interacting with individuals within UBC in pursuit of solving the problem.

Conclusion: 

As a UBC student for the past seven years, I have always advocated for fair treatment for all members of UBC. With prices increasing for items we consume daily, it has made it more difficult for individuals to juggle everyday life consistently. As a publicly funded university that consistently voices concerns for student and staff adversity, the school needs to rectify the issues we face adequately. The consistent increase in pricing adds to the countless stress students and staff face. Thus, there needs to change, and I am seeking approval to proceed with this project.