Chief among Hovey’s 2024-25 executive goal plan was to add the 66 Fraser Valley Express (FVX 66) to the U-Pass as an optional opt-in and expand opt-in/opt-out eligibility during the summer semester. FVX 66’s absence has been voiced as a major barrier to education for commuting UFV students.
SUS made their requests for the U-Pass known prior to BC Transit’s contract renewal with UFV last August. According to Hovey, BC Transit would have an updated contract addressing the university’s needs by the end of September 2024. However, SUS did not receive the updated contract until March 2025, which is currently under legal review and has yet to be signed.
Hovey admits that progress with the U-Pass and FVX 66 has taken longer than he would like.
“We feel it’s unfair how slow [BC Transit] have been. We think that we’ve really been fighting and pushing for them to make these changes, but we rely on them just as much to be putting in that work, right?”
With the contract yet to be signed, Hovey said it will be 2026 before FVX 66 is officially included with the U-Pass.
In terms of a bargaining chip, Hovey suggested that if BC Transit is unwilling to meet UFV students’ needs, that SUS has the option to kill the U-Pass program. This “nuclear” option is one he hopes to avoid for students who benefit from the U-Pass as a whole despite its current shortcomings.
However, Hovey doesn’t see many additional avenues should BC Transit continue dragging its feet.
“That’s an extreme way to go about it, but we want to work collaboratively with them. But if they’re not going to work collaboratively with us, what options are we left with?”
FVX 66 currently has a discounted concession pass of $85/month for youth under 18 and seniors over 65 as opposed to the regular-priced pass of $100/month. As a compromise to the contract delay, Hovey has motioned to include UFV students in this concession pass until FVX 66 is permanently included with the U-Pass.
Hovey added that BC Transit responded favourably to the suggestion and took the idea to their council. It will be up to BC Transit’s discretion to include and implement the discounted price for university students.
On the other hand, there have been wins in negotiations with BC Transit. Hovey has successfully added a summer semester U-Pass opt-in/out for students enrolled in hyflex courses outside of the fall and winter semesters. The summer opt-in/out is part of the contract review that is currently ongoing.
Another of Hovey’s main goals was to increase the food options available on campus at Fair Grounds. He explained that the completion of the SUS prep kitchen has enabled fresh meals to be sold at Fair Grounds, prepared by red-seal chef and SUS Facilities Manager Krista Hofer.
The Early Eats program allows UFV students to access a free breakfast in Evered Hall between 9-11 am every other Tuesday, which was enabled by the profits raised through Fair Grounds.
“The proceeds from Fair Grounds [go] to support things like the Early Eats program, which is a free hot breakfast that we give to students, the food bank, and just supporting food insecurity, because that’s a priority that we heard from students, is that the cost of living is so high. You never want to have to ask the question, ‘Do I pay for groceries, or do I buy my textbooks?’ That’s not something that we want any student to go through.”
Hovey reflected on considering dropping out of university in the fall of 2019, due to the uncertainties COVID-19 introduced to the education system and struggling with his online courseload. In 2023 he ran for vice president external and would consider it a sign he should drop out if he wasn’t elected. As his term as president ends this month, Hovey considers his time in office a success.
“If I could do it over again, I would do it the same way.”
