The National Express company WeDriveU will support Penn’s on-demand transportation with 40 full-time drivers for Penn Transit vehicles, maintenance assistants, and a management team.
WeDriveU first began supplanting Penn Transit’s services in 2021, and this contract adds to their initial agreement, according to EIN Presswire. The company is part of the Shuttle and Transit division of National Express North America, a business unit of the National Express Group working to grow shuttle options for college campuses, hospitals, and other workplaces.
“WeDriveU has demonstrated the ability to hire, train, and effectively manage a fully-staffed team of professional, safety certified drivers in an extremely competitive market, while developing creative mobility strategies to improve the campus experience,” Director of Penn Transit Services Michael Bernhardt told National Express LLC.
The Penn Transit system currently serves the faculty, staff, and students from Penn, Saint Joseph’s University, and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, accommodating over 260,000 passengers every year, according to EIN Presswire.
Ever since Penn released a ridesharing app in 2019 through which people could request pickup, Penn Transit has increased in popularity. It is a free method of transportation that supports any trips of a distance of more than half a mile.
On certain occasions over the past few years, Penn Transit has also been involved in special programs to support students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, Penn Transit provided regular shuttle services to Trader Joe’s primarily to ensure that students remaining on campus over break would have access to a grocery store. In spring 2021, the Pan-Asian American Community House provided charter buses to Chinatown through Penn Transit, as some Penn students felt unsafe taking public transportation because of the recent spike in anti-Asian violence.
These programs were temporary because of high costs and variable demand, but Penn Transit remains open to new initiatives and feedback while having increased support from WeDriveU drivers and management.
“WeDriveU is thrilled to help Penn Transit Services fulfill its commitment to providing safe, convenient, sustainable, and accessible transit to the Penn community,” Chief Commercial Officer of WeDriveU Tim Wayland said in a National Express press release.
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