Transportation

The Netter Center provides transportation support to community partner sites for Penn students involved in ABCS and/or Netter Center programs. Please see below for transportation options.

Vans to University-Assisted Community Schools 

  • View the current Van Schedule for academic year 2023-2024.
  • Van shuttle service is available during the academic year for Netter Center programs, including ABCS courses, traveling from campus to West Philadelphia school partner sites.
  • Pickup/dropoff location on campus is 40th and Locust, in front of the Dental School.
  • To request trips, make a copy of this spreadsheet, then submit it completed to netter-vans@sas.upenn.edu by Thursday at 4pm for requests the following week.

DSM Cards 

  • The Netter Center provides two-trip SEPTA Disposable Smart Media (DSM) passes for eligible students to pick up weekly. Staff supervisors must request for students to be added to the card list in advance. These students may sign out their cards from the Netter Center reception desk (Suite 120) Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. Students can begin picking up the following week’s card(s) the Friday before. 
  • A few things to remember:
    • Each card is pre-loaded with two trips for travel to and from site. Do not dispose of your card until it has been used twice.
    • DSM cards are not reusable and can be thrown away after two trips. 
    • If you pick up more than one card, keep track of which cards you have used for how many trips! You do not want to accidentally throw away unused cards or try to scan used cards.
    • Friday is the earliest day you can pick up cards for the upcoming week. 
    • Cards are only distributed and signed out on an individual basis. You cannot sign out cards on behalf of someone else.
  • Recommended SEPTA routes
    • Comegys School: Trolley Lines 11, 13, or 36
    • Hamilton School: 21 or 42 bus
    • Lea School: 21 or 42 bus
    • Mitchell School: Trolley Line 13
    • Robeson High School: 21 or 40 bus or walking
    • Sayre High School: 21 or 42 bus
    • West Philadelphia High School: 21 bus or Market Street Line

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ABCS TAs or faculty picking up bulk passes for your ABCS course:

Instructions:

  • Email both Ciara Robinson (Netter Center Administrative Assistant) at ciarar@sas.upenn.edu and Anna Balfanz (ABCS Coordinator) at abcscoordintator@sas.upenn.edu at least one day in advance with the number of DSM cards you’re requesting and the travel destination(s). 
  • Come to the Netter Center between Monday-Friday 9am-5pm to pick up your cards and the sign out sheet from the front desk.
  • Repeat as many times as needed throughout the semester. 
  • It's recommended that you don't sign out more than ~100 DSM passes at a time. 
  • Each time you pick up the next bulk batch, return the sign-out sheet and any unused DSM cards from the last bulk order. If you only pick-up bulk cards one time, return the sign-out sheet and any unused cards by the end of the semester.