SEPTA provides easy access to Center City, outer suburbs

When Penn students want to leave campus they can board a bus, subway or trolley and voyage into the greater Philadelphia area. Mass transit in the region is run by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. SEPTA charges a flat fee of $1.60 to ride on the buses or subway-surface rails, or $1.15 for tokens that can be used at any time. Exact change is required. Getting around town will be easier this semester with the introduction of the PennPass -- which, for $200, offers unlimited transport anywhere on SEPTA for a semester. But for the pass to be worth it, a student would have to ride SEPTA more than 100 times, meaning it is probably a good value only for commuters. The Undergraduate Assembly pushed for increased use of SEPTA last semester, and another one of its suggestions -- more token machines on campus -- will come to fruition this fall. The underground subway and subway surface rails are the quickest way to get around the city. The Market-Frankford El -- the blue line -- is the fast route to Center City. Students can board the train at 34th or 40th streets. Heading east the line stops at 30th Street Station, City Hall, Reading Terminal Market, The Gallery and Penn's Landing. The line also travels to the west, ending at 69th Street. Riders can use this route to get to the Tower Theater and the 69th Street Theater. The subway-surface rail -- the green line-- makes several stops across campus, before winding through Philadelphia. One stop is in front of the Quadrangle at 37th and Spruce and there is another by Kings Court/English House at 36th and Sansom. Another subway line is the Broad Street line -- the orange line -- which runs north-south along Broad Street. Riders can board the line at the City Hall station with a free interchange from the green and blue lines. Southward bound passengers go to the Philadelphia sports complexes of Veterans Stadium, the First Union Center and the Spectrum. Towards the north, the line hits Temple University. Several bus routes also serve traveling Penn students. The buses are easy to use, but city traffic and the frequent stops often slow them down. The No. 40 bus goes through campus down Spruce Street which becomes South Street near Franklin Field. It then continues down South Street until Second Street. The No. 21 bus also runs across campus, but on Chestnut Street. It provides transportation to shops along Chestnut and then continues into the historic district. And the No. 42 bus travels along Spruce Street west of 38th and then runs south for a few blocks. It returns to campus via 33rd Street by the Penn Tower Hotel and goes into Center City along Chestnut Street. In addition to the buses and subways around town, students can use SEPTA to travel further afield. SEPTA offers commuter rail lines to the Philadelphia suburbs. And the University City Rail Station -- situated beside Franklin Field -- serves various locations including, the airport. Finally students can use SEPTA to visit New York, by taking SEPTA to Trenton, N.J., and then riding New Jersey Transit to New York City's Penn Station.

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