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Mass Transit

Whether you're headed to Philly to view an art exhibit at a museum, grab a meal in Chinatown, or catch a 76ers game, the SEPTA Media/Elwyn Line is the transportation of choice for many students. Check out the complete SEPTA regional schedule. A host of other transportation options are available in and around Philadelphia as well (right).

Located at the foot of campus, the train provides Swatties with a direct link to the City of Brotherly Love. For those interested in taking a class at the University of Pennsylvania, it has a stop right at University City. Stops at 30th Street Station and along Market Street also deliver students to the most popular shopping and restaurant districts in the city. Groups of friends often crowd the train on the weekends, but they can't act too rowdy - many professors and college staff members use it to commute to and from campus, too.

While it's common to see students with backpacks or suitcases full of dirty laundry heading home for the holidays, Jenna McCreery '10 (above) carries slightly different cargo when she takes the train each week: her cello. McCreery commutes to Philly once a week to take cello lessons with her teacher from the Philadelphia Orchestra. When deciding between attending a conservatory or a liberal arts college, McCreery chose Swarthmore for its accessibility to Philadelphia, a major music town.

After her lessons in the city, McCreery reboards the train and is back at Swarthmore in 20 minutes. "It takes a really short amount of time to get places, and the fares are really fine," she says. "Why wouldn't you take it?"

Bus Tokens and Train Tickets

The Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility supports the efforts of students engaged in volunteer direct service work and political engagement activities by helping make transportation available, if needed by students and if within its budgetary limits. So if you are serving the community in sites accessible by SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority), train tickets or bus tokens may be requested from the Lang Center to support your service commitment.

  • Requests for transportation support in the form of public transportation can be made by submitting to the Transportation Request Form  or to Jennifer Magee (jmagee1@swarthmore.edu) via electronic or hard copy.
  • The Center cannot support transportation for paid employment, academic research or career development purposes.
  • Please Note: Requests must be submitted in advance, preferably at the beginning of the semester. "Same day service" in this regard is not available.
  • Once authorized, tickets and tokens may be obtained at the Lang Center reception desk from 8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Buses, Trains and Cabs

Buses & Trains