About News and Announcements

Announcing Penn Bus North & Other Service Enhancements

Penn Transit has a new fixed-route pilot service called Penn Bus North as well as other service enhancements.

Penn Transit has made several adjustments to its services for the 2023-2024 Academic Year. These changes extend Penn Transit’s overall coverage area, expand service hours for University buses, and better accommodate the considerable increase in ridership that has occurred since announcing the PennTransit Mobile App. With these enhancements, Penn Transit improves its ability to serve riders during peak commuting time as buses transport significantly more riders than a shuttle or van.

Penn Transit anticipates that riders opting to use the bus will benefit from the predictability, convenience, and efficiency of the larger-capacity vehicles. In turn, as more individuals utilize buses, an increase in the availability of the Penn Evening Shuttle service is expected for those passengers that must rely on that option.

The following changes have been implemented:

  • Penn Bus North is a new fixed-route pilot program traveling west on Walnut Street, between 33rd and 48th Streets, and north to Powelton Avenue with dedicated transit stops.
  • A revised bus schedule that accommodates times of the highest rider demand by beginning one hour earlier: All bus routes, including   Penn Bus North, will operate Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. – 12 Midnight. Riders may follow the bus routes in real-time in the PennTransit Mobile App.
  • Penn’s Evening Shuttle service has an adjusted start time starting 90 minutes later, running Monday – Friday 7:30 p.m. – 3 a.m., and weekends 6 p.m. – 3 a.m. Requests for shuttles can be made via the PennTransit Mobile App.

There are no changes to the existing bus routes including Penn Bus West, Penn Bus East, Penn FMC Shuttle, and the Penn-Drexel Bus Share program. Penn Accessible Transit will remain available 7 a.m. – 3 p.m., 7 days per week. 

These changes were made based on an extensive analysis of passenger usage data as well as input from riders. We welcome and encourage the Penn community to continue to provide feedback about Penn Transit’s services through its mobile app.