EDITORIAL: Prepared for a transit crisis

The University has joined with Drexel in developing plans to minimize the effects of a SEPTA strike. While officials from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and its union continued negotiations over a new labor contract, the two University City schools joined forces to develop transit strike contingency plans. In the event of a public transportation shutdown, four Penn buses and two Drexel buses will shuttle people from both institutions between Houston Hall and three sites: 30th Street Station, Lindenwold Terminal at 16th and Locust streets and the 69th Street Terminal in Upper Darby. Penn Transportation Services has also set up a carpool hotline and posted flyers suggesting all day parking locations. Similar measures went into effect during the last city-wide transit strike in 1995. We commend Penn and Drexel for their efforts to minimize the negative effects a strike would have on students, faculty members and staff. A public transportation shutdown would be a disaster for the city, leaving 450,000 weekday passengers to find other ways to get to work or school. Kudos to the two institutions for making the best of the situation and preparing to mobilize long before the onset of crisis. Now it's time for SEPTA and union officials to get their act together.