Free shuttle service loops around U. City

It was inspired by the light-hearted spirit of Lucille Ball, the stature of Lucy the Margate Elephant and the spunk of Lucy Van Pelt. But creators would like to see their "Lucy" do more than just achieve stardom. Indeed, they envision a reliable and convenient way for people to get around University City. LUCY, a new transportation system free to the University community that connects Penn and other area institutions with 30th Street Station by shuttle bus, began service in July. Two routes -- the Green Loop and the Gold Loop -- run opposite to each other, connecting 30th Street Station with stops at participating institutions. The system serves Penn students, faculty and staff through stops along 33rd Street, 34th Street and 38th Street. Six buses run during rush hour, with one bus leaving 30th Street station every 10 minutes, while four buses run during off-peak hours, beginning a route every 15 to 20 minutes. The seventh LUCY bus will be kept as a spare. LUCY -- short for the Loop Thru University City -- is operated by SEPTA under a contract from the University City District. Officials hope that the service, in addition to providing an affordable transportation system for University City students, employees, residents and visitors, will also encourage more commuters to utilize public transportation. "LUCY will help alleviate University City's parking shortage by converting more employees to public transportation," UCD Executive Director Paul Steinke said. LUCY serves several area institutions including Penn, Drexel University, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, the Presbyterian Medical Center and the VA Medical Center. The seven LUCY buses each seat about 20 people and run from 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, except during major holidays. Those affiliated with participating institutions need only show valid identification to ride the system, while the general public pays a fare of 50 cents per person. The system also accepts SEPTA tokens and passes as fare. Various institutional and public subsidies as well as farebox revenue help fund the system, which has an operating budget of about $500,000 a year, plus marketing expenses. A one-time federal transportation grant of $340,000 funded the purchase of the seven buses.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.