Working to open up SEPTA

UA efforts to make SEPTA easier for students to use are a good start on a worthy goal. It is against that background that the Undergraduate Assembly's plans to make SEPTA more accessible to students seems so refreshing. Allowing students to purchase discounted tokens with their PennCards is a good start toward encouraging students to use public transportation. Most major cities offer student discounts on their public transportation system and SEPTA's eagerness to reach a similar accommodation for PennCard holders is commendable. Indeed, SEPTA's eagerness to encourage student use of public transportation extends even further -- the authority has proposed allowing Penn students to simply swipe their cards for access. The charge would then appear on student's bursar bills. We encourage Penn to explore the viability of this proposal, which would go a long way toward making subway access easier for students. Until such a project reaches fruition, there is a real need to increase the number of token vendors on and around campus. At present, students must go to the Bookstore to purchase tokens for the subway stop at 37th and Spruce streets. And only one of the college houses, Hill, currently offers the tokens for sale. Even for the student who does manage to get his hands on a token, figuring out how to get where you're going remains a formidable task. Requiring RAs to post system maps on dormitory walls is a small patch for a larger problem. SEPTA maps are notoriously confusing, and do not help students find where their destinations are above the surface. And so we encourage administrators and student leaders to continue in the spirit of this effort. In particular, we would like to see a greater effort made to publicize many of the attractions that Philadelphia has to offer, particularly during freshman orientation. The UA's plans to provide SEPTA timetables and routemaps to students are commendable. And we love the idea of distributing complementary tokens to freshmen during orientation. Indeed, the UA's work on the SEPTA project as a whole has spotlighted the organization at its best -- as a force for tangible initiatives that enhance the student experience at Penn. We applaud their efforts, and hope that proposals such as these are a sign of things to come.