Transportation
Public Transportation
If you are looking to get somewhere fast, public transportation is a great alternative. SEPTA offers a variety of transit services, including buses, trolleys, the Market-Frankford Line, the Broad Street Line, and Regional Rail trains that are sure to get you where you need to go. Jump on board and get ready to enjoy all that Philadelphia has to offer.
SEPTA ComPass Discount Program
View information on the student SEPTA ComPass discount program, purchasing dates, and refunds. This program provides full-time students with a 10 percent discount on monthly TransPasses and TrailPasses through DrexelOne. To use the ComPass discount, log in to DrexelOne and choose your Student tab, then select the "Commuter" option in the bottom right corner and choose "SEPTA ComPass."
All passes must be purchased by the 15th of the month before the pass you are purchasing. For example, the deadline for buying an October pass is 11:59 p.m. on September 14. Purchases must be made with a major credit card and are limited to one pass per month.
Passes will be automatically loaded on the SEPTA Key provided during purchase.
For unwanted passes, the purchaser must communicate with SEPTA through the Key call center at 1.855.567.3782. For general questions, please email septa@drexel.edu.
Convenient SEPTA Routes to Campus
Market-Frankford Line
The Market-Frankford Line, popularly known as the Blue Line or the El, is a subway-elevated line that runs east and west along Market Street. The El is an easy way for Drexel students to get to Center City or further into West Philly. The El has two convenient stops for Drexel students on the University City Campus: 34th and Market streets and 30th and Market streets. For Center City, students can take the El to 15th and Market streets.
Broad Street Line
The Broad Street Line, also known as the Orange Line, is a subway line that runs north and south along Broad Street. This subway route is a fast and convenient way to check out any one of Philadelphia's major sports teams at the Sports Complex in South Philly. For Center City students, the Orange Line makes stops at Broad and Spring Garden streets, as well as Broad and Vine streets. For both University City and Center City students, the Orange Line also has a free transfer at 15th and Market streets to the Market-Frankford Line.
Trolleys and Buses
If you are looking to head somewhere else in the city or into one of the surrounding Philadelphia suburbs, you may want to check out one of the many trolley and bus routes to get you where you need to go. Going east, all trolleys (Routes 10 [PDF], 11 [PDF], 13 [PDF], 34 [PDF], or 36 [PDF]) lead to Center City. It does not matter what trolley you take if you are heading east into Center City. The trolley stop on the University City Campus is at 33rd and Market streets, while Center City students can take the trolley to 15th and Market streets or 13th and Market streets.
Bus routes 21 [PDF] and 42 [PDF] head into Center City going east along Chestnut Street and return to West Philadelphia on Walnut Street. There are many bus routes that travel through Drexel's campuses, including the Lucy [PDF] (Loop through University City) and the Route 49 [PDF]. For more specific information, visit SEPTA's website.
Regional Rail Trains
Students taking Regional Rail trains in from the suburbs should pay attention to the zone number from which they are commuting. On the train schedule, each stop on the route has a corresponding zone number. Please buy a train ticket, TransPass, or TrailPass that corresponds to that number. Day and evening fares may vary as well. Cash and credit card are accepted on board the train. SEPTA recommends using a SEPTA Key card to obtain best value.
SEPTA Key Card
SEPTA Key is a reloadable, contactless chip card that offers a host of options for seamless travel and the self-serve flexibility of loading/reloading SEPTA fares to match your travel needs.
Right now, you have the option of loading a daily/three-day/weekly/monthly pass, and/or Travel Wallet on your SEPTA Key. Travel Wallet allows you to pay as you go versus using a pass. The Travel Wallet offers the lowest price fare when paying per-trip and when riding transit (bus, trolley, subway/elevated, and high speed) — it also offers one free transfer.
The Key card can be set up with auto-load to automatically purchase the SEPTA fare you always use or you can make fare purchases as you need them — it's your choice.
When traveling on bus, trolley, subway/elevated, and/or the Norristown High Speed Line, simply tap your card on the validator to gain entry and the proper fare will be validated. All fares on these modes are one price, so you can't go wrong. No card? No problem! Cash is accepted onboard surface vehicles and Quick Trips can be purchased at the subway/elevated station kiosks. But remember — when paying with the SEPTA Key card — fare is $2 instead of $2.50.
Since fare pricing is distance-based for Regional Rail travel, your card must be tapped at both the origin and destination stations of your trip. Don't worry, conductors are available on trains to assist. If needed, they can even process cash or credit card payment onboard.
Fare Kiosks can be found in all Broad Street and Market-Frankford Line Stations, at Bus Loops, at Center City Regional Rail Stations (Temple University, Jefferson Station, Suburban Station, 30th Street Station, and Penn Medicine Station) and at the Airport. Kiosks accept cash, credit, debit, tokens, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay. Best part — you can reload your SEPTA Key online at SEPTAKey.org.
With NJ Transit, commuting to and from Jersey can be a breeze. View more information on NJ Transit.
NJ Transit Student Discount
NJ Transit also provides a 25 percent discount to all full-time graduate and undergraduate students on their monthly passes. The NJ Transit discount can be accessed by:
- Logging in to DrexelOne.
- Selecting the Campus+Community tab.
- Scrolling down to the Commuting channel.
- Choosing the "NJ Transit Quik-Tik" link
- You can the select the monthly pass you need and pay for your pass online.
Please keep in mind the purchasing calendar for NJ Transit. Your monthly pass must be purchased by the 10th of the month prior to the month you need it, i.e., by October 10, you will need to have purchased your monthly pass for November.
The PATCO (Port Authority Transit Corporation) Speedline serves southern New Jersey with nine rail stops between Lindenwold and City Hall in Camden, NJ. You can also take PATCO to four Philadelphia Rail Stops, allowing you to transfer to the SEPTA Market-Frankford Line at 8th and Market. View more information on PATCO train schedules and fares. Students may take advantage of PATCO's Student FREEDOM Card offer by showing their DragonCard at the FREEDOM Card Service Center at the Broadway Station weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. View details and the coupon for savings.
PATCO and SEPTA Transfer
PATCO and SEPTA have separate fare instruments and policies. However, riders can save money and time by purchasing a reduced-fare, round-trip SEPTA ticket or FREEDOM SHARE card from any FREEDOM automated vending machine in New Jersey PATCO stations.
The SEPTA ticket is printed in two portions, one for each trip. The first portion must be used on SEPTA within 60 minutes of being purchased. The second portion of the ticket remains valid for up to 24 hours. Time restrictions do not apply on weekends or major holidays. View additional PATCO information.
If you are looking to travel to New York or even California, then you should check out Philadelphia's Amtrak station. Amtrak trains run daily from 30th Street Station, which is just blocks from Drexel's campus. View more information and purchase tickets on Amtrak.
Do you have some place to go, but no money to get there? If so, consider one of Drexel's shuttle services to get you where you need to go. The University offers three different shuttle routes that are free of charge to all Drexel students. Drexel also has a great partnership with the University of Pennsylvania that allows you to use their services too! All you need to ride is to show your DragonCard.
View more information, maps of the routes, and specific departure times.
Ride Share Services
Enterprise CarShare is expanding its program in University City with the addition of new Chevy Volt extended range vehicles and pod locations, as well as special discounted rates through a partnership with Drexel.
As part of the partnership with Drexel, Enterprise CarShare will waive the $25 application fee and offer discounts on yearly plans for all student, faculty, and professional staff participants at Drexel, and free business accounts for any University department or group.
Drexel has partnered with Zipcar, Inc., the world's leading car-sharing network, to offer a Zipcar car-sharing program on campus. This cost-effective and convenient transportation option is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to all students ages 18 and older, as well as faculty and professional staff members.
Drexel members pay a $35 annual fee, and rates on campus Zipcar vehicles start as low as $7 per hour and $69 per day. Gas, insurance, reserved parking spots, up to 180 miles of driving per day, and roadside assistance are included in the hourly and daily Zipcar rates. Cars can be reserved for as little as an hour or for multiple days. Drexel students, faculty, and staff can register for Drexel's Zipcar service.
Parking
Drexel Parking Services (DPS) offers a variety of options to choose from for your parking needs. DPS works to best meet the needs of students: anything from term passes to daily parking rates.
Parkway offers monthly parking rates at the following lots:
University City
33rd and Ludlow
34th and Chestnut
34th and Market
36th and Market
37th and Filbert
38th and Filbert
39th and Market
Center City
Broad (14th) and Race
15th and Cherry
15th and Spring streets (PPA)
Here at Drexel, not only do we have parking garages and lots, but we also have a multitude of ways and places you can park on the street — from directly on campus and continuing all the way into Powelton Village. Both paid and free options are available.
- From the University City Campus starting on Chestnut Street and ending on Race Street south to north and from 32nd to 34th, you will find a large number of parking kiosks. View more information about the exact location and prices.
- Once you pass over Race Street going toward Powelton Village, you will begin to encounter what’s known as 2HR parking: from 6 a.m.–6 p.m./permit parking. It is considered both of these because once you get into this area of University City, it becomes residential. This means that if you are a resident of the area, you must obtain a parking permit from the Philadelphia Parking Authority to bypass the 2-hour parking limit that results in tickets if your car is there past the time limit. Residents can obtain these permits online.
- If you drive farther into Powelton Village toward Mantua approximately past Hamilton Street, you will begin to find non-limited parking. This means that there is no time limit to parking in these areas. However, students parking here should be aware that this area is also residential and they are expected to be respectful of residents parking in front of their homes.
Biking
Drexel Bike Share is open to all students and employees with a valid Drexel University ID who are in good standing with the University. There is no rental fee to use a Drexel Bike Share bike. The general share time is two days or one weekend. All Bike Share equipment is picked up at the information desk in the Creese Student Center. View more information.
Bike Registration
All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to register their bikes with Drexel Public Safety. The goals of this free program are to heighten awareness in the University community, deter would-be thieves, and provide law enforcement with valuable crime-solving information. More information can be found on Public Safety's website.
Be sure to lock your bike appropriately with a U-Lock device.
Bicycle Policies
- By statute, a bicycle is a vehicle and cyclists must obey all traffic laws. Anyone using a bicycle shall do so in a safe manner and always yield the right of way to pedestrians. Bicycles shall be operated at a reasonable, safe, and prudent speed at all times.
- Cyclists are required to use designated bike racks for parking.
- Bicycles may not be parked or stored blocking building entrances or exits, stairways, or pedestrian walkways.
- Bicycles may not be parked or stored in hallways, stairways, or public areas in University buildings.
- Bicycles may not be parked or stored inside any Drexel University building unless the area is specifically designated for such storage and/or approved by the Office of Fire and Emergency Services.
Have a flat? A bike pump is available at the Creese Student Center and repair stations are located at Towers Hall and behind Millennium Hall.
The Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition provides bikers with opportunities to get involved with riding groups, safety information, biking events, and much more! Learn more.