De Anza College Students starting the Fall 2011 quarter may have already noticed a new fee when paying for their classes, an unsettling “DA Eco Pass” charging only a few dollars. Is this a new parking fee imposed on the student body? Is it a tax facilitating De Anza to go green? No. In actuality, the Eco Pass fee gives students unlimited free entry to any Valley Ttransportation Authority bus or light rail.

Of course it does not include ACE, Amtrak, BART, Caltrain, Highway 17 Express, Dumbarton Express, Monterey-Salinas Transit or SamTrans. But that still leaves a map of participating bus and light rail routes that takes passengers from Palo Alto down to Gilroy and back again.

Last spring the De Anza Associated Student Body passed, in a 985 to 124 vote, the VTA DASB Eco Pass program and its accompanying mandatory fee for all students; $4 for part time students (11.5 quarter units or less) and $5 for full time. 

To request an Eco Pass, a student needs to be enrolled at De Anza College, registered for classes, have a valid DASB card and have fully paid their fees or be currently enrolled in a payment plan. Following that, it is a matter of logging onto MyPortal, clicking an Eco Pass green leaf icon, filling out a quick survey then waiting three to five business days. 

There is a deadline, so be sure to order your pass before the eighth week of the quarter or you will be ineligible.

Once the sticker arrives, attach it to the back of the DASB card and it will serve as the ticket to all VTA buses and light rails.

Six bus lines stop at De Anza: Routes 23, 25, 51, 53, 54, and 55. Route 51 connects to the Mountain View Caltrain station; along with routes 53, 54, and 55, route 51 connects to the Sunnyvale Caltrain station. Eco Passes are valid seven days a week every week and the Fall quarter pass is valid from Sept. 12 Jan. 23, 2012. The Eco Pass is quarterly with a two – week overlap between the start and end of each academic cycle. 

Eco Passes will expire so be sure to request your new pass at the start of each quarter.

For a full list of VTA routes, interactive maps or to plan a trip, visit: http://vta.org

For more information on the Eco Pass program visit: http://deanza.edu/ecopass