The slot machines of Atlantic City and the lights of Times Square are calling, and this weekend, Penn students can get there for free.
New Jersey Transit -- which runs trains from Philadelphia to Atlantic City and offers connections to New York -- is offering all college students free unlimited travel until this Sunday.
The promotion is designed to "give college students an opportunity to discover how convenient and simple it is to use the New Jersey Transit system," said Dan Stessel, a spokesman for the agency.
Students can travel free on any N.J. Transit railroad, bus or light rail service.
In order to qualify, students must bring a coupon -- which they can get by filling out a short survey on the N.J. Transit Web site -- along with their student identification card.
According to Stessel, 30,000 students have signed up for the promotion.
College sophomore Laura Paine of Princeton, N.J. is among them, and she said that students in New Jersey are also planning to take advantage. Her sister, a Princeton University sophomore, intends to take a free ride to Newark International Airport.
The promotion does not cover the cost of traveling to and from Trenton, N.J., using SEPTA's regional rail -- which students must take to get to New York using N.J. Transit. A one-way ticket between 30th Street Station and Trenton costs $7.
But Paine said that, even though the trip between Penn and New York isn't completely free, "people are still enticed to come to Philadelphia."
According to Stessel, students at Seton Hall University, located in South Orange, N.J., are organizing group trips to New York and various New Jersey locales.
While he was unsure of how many Penn students would plan group outings, he said he was "very pleased" with the response to the promotion so far.
"We're confident that as students try public transportation they will end up sticking with it," he added.
Business and Public Policy professor Bruce Allen, who specializes in transportation issues, doubts that the promotion will have any long-term effects.
He added, however, that this week some people may take a free ride and say, "Gee, this is better than driving."
But as long as the promotion is going on, he said, "if [students] want adventure, people might do it."
NJ Transit for free - Popular destinations accessible through New Jersey transportation service include Atlantic City and New York - Trip to Big Apple requires $7 SEPTA ride to Trenton, N.J. - Getting a free ride requires filling out a short survey on the agency's Web site, NJTransit.com, and presenting student identification - The promotion ends this Sunday
