Independent studios, Metro Vancouver, autumn 2026

The class pass
the studios own.

People love one pass that works everywhere. Studios have never loved what it costs them. OpenPass is the same idea built as a co-operative: you set the price, you keep most of it, and you own the network it runs on.

Request an invitationTwo minutes. Independent studios and solo teachers in Metro Vancouver.

The split

At least 80 percent of your price is yours.

The network fee covers card processing, the platform and support. Members vote on the rate each year. Whatever the co-op does not spend is returned to member studios.

Founding window
Open until 31 October 2026

A core group of Vancouver studios.
Then the rules get written.

The co-op incorporates with the independent Vancouver studios that put their hand up this month. Founders sit in the three meetings that settle the share, the fee and the rules, and their names go on the memorandum. After that, new members join under rules someone else wrote. Asking for an invitation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.

$500 to $2,500Refundable membership shares, sized to the studio. Paid in two parts, when the co-op receives official registration.
1 votePer studio, whatever its size or holding. Members elect the board and set the fee.
80%+Of the price you set stays with you. The rest runs the co-op you own.
3 meetingsOctober to December 2026, at STRETCH in Chinatown. Pilot early 2027.
How it works

  1. List your studio

    Your classes, your prices, your booking page. Nothing about your schedule or software changes.

  2. A pass holder walks in

    They carry a balance in real dollars. Your front desk scans their code and charges your normal price.

  3. You get paid weekly

    Class price less the network fee, to your bank. You get the customer's contact details too, because they are your customer.

  4. The surplus comes back

    At year end, anything the co-op did not need is shared among members in proportion to the business each one did.

The rules we started with

  • You set the price

    The network never discounts your class or decides what it is worth.

  • Dollars, not credits

    Customers see real prices. No points system between you and them.

  • No first class free

    We are not going to teach people that your work costs nothing.

  • Win them over, please

    If a pass holder falls for your studio and buys a membership direct, that is the system working.

  • Works with what you have

    Momence, Mindbody, a clipboard. The first version needs a phone or tablet at the desk and nothing else.

  • Run lean

    No sales team, no ad budget to feed. Studios tell their own communities, and the fee stays low because of it.
Why a co-op

One studio, one vote.

A co-operative is a business owned by the people who use it. Credit unions are co-ops. So are plenty of grocery stores, farm suppliers and car shares. It is the ordinary legal tool for small businesses that need a shared service and would rather not rent it from someone whose interests run the other way.

  • Every member studio holds shares and one vote, whatever its size.
  • Members elect the board and set the network fee.
  • There are no outside investors to pay, so there is no pressure to squeeze studios later.
  • Each city runs its own chapter. The playbook will be published so any city can start one.
Where this is at

Early, and honest about it. OpenPass is forming its founding group in Vancouver in autumn 2026, with a pilot planned for early 2027. There is no app to download yet. What exists is a working framework, a studio owner who is tired of the alternative, and a seat at the table for the first studios who want to shape the rules.

I'm Boyd. I own STRETCH, an independent yoga studio in Vancouver's Chinatown. I see a lot of pass customers walk through my door every month, and I would like more of what they pay to stay with the studios doing the teaching. If you are outside Vancouver, get in touch anyway. The second city starts with whoever raises a hand.

What you get

What a founding studio gets

  1. A seat at the three founding meetings, October to December 2026, where the share, the fee and the rules are settled. Founders vote on all of it.
  2. Your name on the memorandum, and founder status for as long as the co-op exists.
  3. The real numbers. The year-one model, the fee maths and the pilot plan, open for you to pick apart before you decide anything.
  4. A say in who joins next. Franchise locations and larger brands come in later, on terms the founders set.

Nothing is signed or paid at this stage. When you request an invitation I send you the details and the meeting dates, we talk, and if you want in you take your tier's shares once the founding group has written the rules. Either side can walk away at any point by saying so.

Next step

Request an invitation.

Two minutes, online. It asks who you are, where your studio is and how big it is, and whether you want in or just want to watch. It goes to a studio owner, not a sales team, and you will hear back within two days with the details and the founding meeting dates.

Request an invitation

Rather talk first? Email hello@openpass.life or text Boyd at 604 351 6810. Coffee at STRETCH, 180 E Pender, works too.

Questions studio owners ask
Do I have to leave the pass apps I am on now?

No. Run OpenPass alongside whatever you use today and compare what each visit actually pays you. We think the numbers will make the case.

What does it cost to join?

Membership shares of $250 each, with a minimum holding by tier: two shares for a solo teacher ($500), four for a studio with one or two locations ($1,000), ten for a locally owned group of three or more ($2,500). Half is paid when the co-op incorporates and half when the pilot opens, and nothing before the founding group has settled the rules. Shares come back to you if you leave. Every member has one vote whatever their holding. Founders' shares pay for the first version of the platform and nothing else; the books are open to members.

Where do the customers come from?

From you, and from every other member. Each studio introduces its own community to the pass. Your regulars get to try other places, and other studios' regulars get to try you.

Can I join if I am outside Vancouver?

Yes. The pilot starts in Vancouver so the first pass holders can actually reach every member, but the co-op is for the whole region. A North Shore, Burnaby, Richmond or Fraser Valley founder is welcome from day one.

Who counts as independent?

The owner works in the business and makes its decisions. That includes a teacher working out of a garage, a two-room studio, and a locally owned group of locations. The founding group is independents only. Franchise locations and larger brands will be invited once the founding members have written the rules, on terms the founders set.

What do founding studios commit to?

At first, nothing beyond a conversation. Request an invitation, read the details, come to a founding meeting. Studios that want in then sign a short non-binding letter of intent and take their tier's shares once the rules are written. Either side can walk away by saying so.