Penn Transit will rename fixed bus routes and introduce color-coded maps in an effort to simplify student navigation.
The changes, which will be implemented Monday, come as a follow-up to revisions made in March, Senior Director of Business Services Joe Russo told The Daily Pennsylvanian. Routes will be named after the locations they visit and coded with corresponding colors, rather than being titled by modal direction.
Penn Bus East will become the Rittenhouse Square Loop, Penn Bus West will become the Baltimore/Spruce Loop, and Penn Bus North will become the Powelton/Spruce Loop, with all three still operating from 4 p.m. to midnight on weekdays. The Pennovation Works Day Loop will retain its name and continue to operate weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“What we heard our students telling us is that the overall Penn Transit system needed to be clearer,” Russo said. ‘‘‘North’ was too confusing. ‘West’ did not make sense to where we were actually going because we’re in West Philly.”
In addition, Penn students will now be able to view SEPTA’s Loop through University City and Drexel bus routes — both of which are accessible to PennCard holders for free, like Penn Transit’s services — on the Penn Transit Mobile app.
“In one spot, you can know how to get around campus,” Russo said. “Our four routes, the two LUCY routes, and the three Drexel routes are all in one location.”
These latest changes are based on feedback gathered from the Student Transit Advisory Board — which includes both undergraduate and graduate students — and the Undergraduate Assembly, as well as through focus groups and a student survey.
Russo additionally explained that these updates build upon changes made to the evening safety shuttle in March. Based on student concerns about long wait times, Penn Transit introduced five new shuttle stops and a “step-to-the-stop” model requiring riders to walk to designated pickup locations. According to Russo, the changes reduced average wait times from about 15 minutes to roughly 11 or 12 minutes.
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“Everything that we’ve done or talked about really is a direct result of one of those many conversations with the student leaders,” Russo said.
In June, Penn Transit also introduced a monthly SEPTA pass option through the Campus Express platform at a 15% discount, which must be purchased by the 14th of the month prior to the pass’s month of use. Previously, students could only purchase semester-long passes at a 10% discount.
Russo said that the new offering provides students with additional flexibility, rather than being “locked into a semester pass.” Monthly passes are also available in the summer, when semester passes are not available.
According to Russo, the best way to use the Penn Transit app is to use the trip planner feature, which provides several route options to reach a destination.
“What this has taught us is that our students don’t necessarily know about all of the services that Penn Transit offers and how to use them,” Russo said. “In most cases, you would find that a fixed route is the quicker and more efficient way to get where you are going.”
