Penn Transit service to change this fall

A Penn Shuttle, part of the Penn Transit system, flies by Harrison College House. The service will be scaled back this fall due to declining ridership, according to University officials. [Michael Lupoli/The Summer Pennsylvanian]

The wheels on the busses of Penn Transit vehicles will continue to go 'round and 'round this fall -- but with a few changes to adapt to a decline in ridership in recent years -- University officials announced this week.

"The campus is a fundamentally different place than it was several years ago when many of these services were implemented," said Vice President for Business Services Lee Nunery in a written statement. "While people still value Penn transit, these changes bear out in the number of riders and the services they need."

Starting next semester, Penn Bus and Penn Shuttle services will end at 1:00 a.m., rather than 3:00 a.m., in response to a decline in ridership after 1:00 a.m. Instead, students will be able to call 898-RIDE for dispatch service from transit stops. The Department of Public Safety will continue its dispatch service after 3:00 a.m.

Additionally, service to Center City will be scaled back to Penn Bus service only, which only operates on weekdays. The Penn Bus system operates two routes: Penn Bus East and Penn Bus West, which follow set routes during the evening hours, bringing passengers as far as 20th and Locust streets and 48th and Spruce streets, respectively.

Not all changes will involve cut backs in service -- a new stop at 38th Street and Locust Walk will be added to Penn Bus East's route during peak hours, as well two stops at 40th and Walnut streets and 39th and Spruce streets.

The changes were formed based on the recommendations of an advisory committee formed to study potential changes to the Penn Transit system. The committee, comprised of faculty, staff and students, began meeting in April.

"What we're working towards is... improving it to be economically efficient, but also providing a service that benefits everybody," College junior and committee member Jenn Choi said. "From the undergraduate perspective, I think we have a lot to gain by being more aware of [Penn Transit] and by using it more...."

The changes will be put into place to adapt to the needs and uses of the University community, according to officials.

Ridership on busses and shuttles has dropped in the past years -- down from an all-time high of 432,005 riders in fiscal year 1997 to only 348,600 riders in fiscal year 2003.

Officials attribute this decline in part to successful safety measures put into place on campus, making students and faculty feel more secure walking around.

"The inception for Penn Transit was as a safety service," Transportation Manager Ron Ward said. "I think we've gotten a little bit away from that and we've become a convenience service for a lot of students."

It is hoped these changes will help adapt Penn Transit to the shifting needs of the University community.

"One of the important issues for Penn Transit is as a safety service, but... if our mission were exclusively safety, I think we'd be a branch of Public Safety," Business Services spokeswoman Amy Johnson said. "We want to provide a service that people want and is useful for them."

Other changes to the Penn Transit system include six new busses that have been added to the fleet, and new, more visible ID numbers on busses and vans to allow riders to better identify the vehicle they are riding -- and to more clearly offer tips and suggestions to Penn Transits' idea hotline.

The changes will be put into place as a pilot system, officials said, and its effectiveness will be evaluated by future meetings of the advisory committee.

Comments (13)

If they are only going to have Center City service on the Penn Bus, why not expand the Penn Bus to the weekends??? It's going to take one assault on the Walnut St Bridge to make them think twice about this plan. Anyone ever walk there? You could get killed and no one would know. Student

I absolutely agree with "Student"! The article says that shuttles have "become a convenience", implying they are no longer a service to increase safety. Wrong! I take Penn transit to Center City because it's safer than walking late at night. If you've ever tried to get a shuttle from DRL late on a cold night, you'll KNOW it's not convenient! On more than one occasion, I've waited 45 minutes or more for an eastbound shuttle. When I called 8-RIDE to ask where they are, they had the nerve to tell me that one just passed - I must not have been in view. Ummm, I was standing on the sidewalk with my toes at the curb - their driver must have just skipped DRL and lied about it. And I don't relish walking from the bus stop to my home late at night, either. Keep the shuttles, but get them on schedule! Staff

I didn't even know we had these buses/trolleys things - did anyone really use them anyway? no one i know ever took a bus anywhere... thats what cabs are for. L, student philly

Why do we need these Penn shuttle buses to begin with? There is plenty of frequent SEPTA service around the campus and area: Routes 10, 11, 12, 13, 21, 30, 34, 36, 40, 42, LUCY, and the Market-Frankford Line; many individuals simply want a free ride and are too cheap to pay $1.30 for a token. Staff

Dillon, I do not think you understand the true meaning of fear. It should be eaten, my friend. FEAR FOREVER Fearless in Seattle cdigena@solomonpage.com

To "Staff #2" - Thankfully, I do not live in the Philadelphia area any more and I do not have to ride Septa. I've been on a couple of those lines many, many times and I rode a bus once. Once was enough. You couldn't pay me to ride a Septa bus again. I don't blame students for wanting the Penn bus service instead of Septa! It's dirty, the platforms are dark and unsafe, and the majority of the riders I would not want to meet in a dark alleyway let alone on the subway. I routinely found myself removing any jewelry that I had, including my watch, when I rode the subway. Not that what I wore then was worth anything, but I didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. I think that even if students had to pay a nominal amount to ride the Penn bus, they would rather pay that than ride Septa. (Granted, college students don't want to have to pay for things like this, but given a choice of Septa or Penn transit, they would probably choose the latter.) Alum Boston

Staff #2: You list many routes that go through Penn's campus, but Septa does not tailor it's service to students. Penn Transit does. LUCY might sound like a good option, but it doesn't run much past sunset. And what route that you listed will take you from the computer lab in High Rise South (where you met your group until 2am) to 45th and Pine? Actually, Septa has no route that travels Pine Street, especially at 3AM. And I guess I am too cheap to pay $1.30 to travel around my own campus. Annoyed Student

To Staff #2: I should have known that someone was going to say I'm just cheap, but I tried to keep my first post brief. I'm NOT too cheap to pay for SEPTA or even a taxi. I live in center city and don't own a car, so I contribute a lot to the local economy on these. But none of those lovely bus lines drops me off in front of my house. In case you hadn't noticed, not a lot of busses run on Delancey or Panama or any of the small east-west streets, and the walk from a bus stop to home is fine during the day, but not something it would be wise to do alone late at night. Nor am I too cheap to pay for a taxi - but have you ever tried to get a taxi by DRL late at night, especially when the weather's bad? I have several cab companies programmed into my cellphone, but it's really amusing when they say that the wait will be "15 minutes to 2 hours" at around midnight on a Tuesday. That's not a practical solution. Nor do I like to walk alone to the cab stand at the Sheraton, which includes the area around 34th and Ludlow where someone was attacked recently. And just to head others off: don't tell me to move onto a main street with a bus stop by my door. I maintain my home well and contribute to a feeling of community in my neighborhood. The money I put into renovations, etc. benefits not only myself but also the local economy and quality of life. If we all lived just along the main streets, the beautiful neighborhoods on the smaller streets would return to the drug-infested slums that they were 30 years ago. So I have reasons for using the Shuttle that aren't simply solved by throwing money at the situation, and I'm sure others do, too. Staff #1

The two comments above are good points. Why is Penn calling a service that helps to prevent its community from encountering crime and exposure to dangerous temperatures "a convenience?" Are we better off taking Septa? At a recent public safety seminar, the detective explicitly told a group of students who were new to the campus not to ride the underground services alone at night. In addition, what is wrong with providing a convenience to the Penn community? I'm sure money isn't the issue. Reiterating on this week's staff editorial, Penn should be working to make Transit a service that students can rely on to travel to popular destinations around the city. Heck, maybe even the airport during heavy travel times! We deserve more than what these committees have determined to be our "shifting needs." Annoyed Student

How DARE the previous posters doubt the administration's changes with the bus. Of course it would be "NIIIIICE" to have a bus to take you into Philly or deliver you safe at your house when walking surely means being harassed or beaten with a pipe. You should be ASHAMED, we clearly need more GOLF simulators!! Also, we should build a bigger gym so that more people can lift and run. Then we could sneak it onto our burser bills. That way we can fend off the people who want to steal our laptops as we walk home from the library after.... ohhhh, lets say... 10 pm??? Dillon Kuehn dmkuehn@sas.upenn.edu

Has anyone here even ridden Septa. Yeah Septa is fine between 9-7PM, but after that the service is unreliable and infrequent. Furthermore, the damn trolley line is almost always out at night for construction (the flashing blue light) Sure for undergrads - who all live close to campus this service is probably not used, but for grad students it is. And with the recent rise in assaults on campus (there were 3 major ones I can recall this year - maybe more?) I think the school is making a big big mistake. Actual question from prospective student: "I heard Penn was unsafe" Actual response from myself: "Well you gotta be street smart, but there are shuttles that take you to most places so you usally have no problem" Student (Original)

To Annoyed Student: The Route 42 bus operates 24 hours a day on Spruce Street, one block from Pine Street. You can view the schedules at www.septa.org. Staff

Oh my God. One time I tried to take SEPTA and I almost died! Can anyone actually expect PENN students to sit on the same seats as those local people? Another time I tried to walk downtown after midnight, and I did die. Now I am only a pumpkin. Totally keep the east route. Afraid student

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