<p>I am going to visit Penn this Columbus Day and I'll be taking a greyhound bus. I wanted to make sure that they had taxicabs at the Greyhound bus terminal in Philadelphia. Please excuse my ignorance, since I only know the city of New York. Is Philadelphia a sea of taxicabs that can be hailed at any corner, like NYC? Thanks so much! </p>
<p>P.S. If you know the typical cabfaire for this type of trip (2miles), I'd really appreciate it!</p>
<p>Last I heard, the Greyhound terminal was around 10th and Market. (someone told me they were moving but the website still lists this as the main terminal). You should have absolutely no trouble finding a taxi most hours of the day (it can get a bit difficult after midnight) but that's a very well-traveled area. I would avoid SEPTA (the subways) for a first-time visit, even though there is a station right next to the bus terminal. Taxi fare should be about $15.00, depending on time of day/traffic. If you're headed to campus, stopping at 34th and Walnut will get you very close to college hall /admissions via taxi.</p>
<ol>
<li>Take the Chinatown bus instead - they have Chinese buses that leave from NY Penn Station and drop off at 30th St. Station in Philly. From there you can walk to Penn.<br></li>
</ol>
<p><a href="https://www.apexbus.com/p2p.aspx%5B/url%5D">https://www.apexbus.com/p2p.aspx</a></p>
<p>If you're used to NYC, you should be able to navigate the Philly subway (during daytime) with no problems if you want to save a few bucks.</p>
<p>If it's your first time coming, Percy, you might have a bit of difficulty finding your way from 30th St. Station to campus. But I agree, take the Chinatown bus instead. And then at 30th you can hop on the trolley to take you to the 37th street stop, which will put you right in front of the Quad.</p>
<p>That works too, but if you are from NY and you can't figure out how to get from 30th & Market to 34th & Walnut, I question whether you really belong at Penn.</p>
<p>Also the 36th& Sansom stop is prob. closer to College Hall where the tours start, but by the time you find the entrance to the subway-surface lines, pay the fare, wait for a trolley to come, walk from the station, etc. you could have just walked it from 30th St.</p>
<p>For someone's first visit to Penn, I would suggest taking a cab. More expensive than mass transit (and walking :)), but a better way to get a general overview for what the city, campus, and surrounding neighborhood are like.</p>
<p>A cab would be a better way of getting a general overview of what the city and campus are like?</p>
<p>I disagree with that, if you really want a feel for the surrounding neighborhood, walk. A cab is the most convenient and quickest way onto campus though. It also depends on how much luggage you have. If you have any more than, say a backpack and a large duffel, I wouldn't want to walk.</p>
<p>Anyways, to answer the original question, yes, taxis are easy to hail. Maybe not as numerous as in New York, but they will definitely be available by the Greyhound station.</p>
<p>^ I didn't mean to take a cab around campus--I meant to take a cab from the bus station, as opposed to taking the subway. A walk from the bus station to the Penn campus is quite a schlep, especially for someone who's not familiar with the city.</p>
<p>What's the scoop on the students who were held up by cabbies this past week?</p>
<p>It was ONE student, who was held up by 2 guys who have been using an out-of-service cab to commit robberies. Just 2 guys in one out-of-service cab--not a wave of robberies by legitimate cabbies. And it happened at 2 AM in the morning, 25 blocks from the Penn campus:</p>
<p>Actually, it has been a wave of cab-based robberies. I'll look for the email I got from penn police and see if I can post it.</p>
<p>Found it. This was sent out on Oct. 2nd from a Penn police captain (whose name I have removed) to a couple leadership listservs and trickled its way out. I've seen 2 slightly different versions from different police captains.</p>
<hr>
<p>friends, in case you haven't yet heard...</p>
<p>In the past few days there have been four (4) robberies that started
in hailed cabs. Simply, a cab is hailed after 12:30am, usually near
a club or bar, and the fare(s) is/are robbed at point of gun by the
driver and a passenger seated in the front. If an ATM card is
discovered, the victim is driven to ATM machines and forced to
withdraw cash, also at point of gun.</p>
<p>Three (3) of the incidents occurred downtown, one was local
[u.city]. By all appearances, the vehicles are legitimate, marked taxi
cabs.</p>
<p>Please convey to all of your contacts to be very vigilant when
hailing a cab and DO NOT ENTER if a passenger is observed in the
front seat next to the driver. Current regulations prohibit a
passenger in the front unless handicapped, or one of a larger group
that enter the vehicle together. If a cab with a passenger is
observed, a call to 9-1-1 or the Penn Police (215.573.3333 if in
University City) is the best course of action. A description of the
vehicle, occupants and license plate would be very helpful.</p>
<p>The actors are armed, so please convey to all to be very cautious.</p>
<p>Any questions, please let me know.</p>
<hr>
<p>I know it was 4 robberies, but as the DP article indicates, all indications are that it's the same two idiots doing the robberies, using out-of-service cabs. This kind of stuff--though not this exact same M.O.--happens in all big cities. They'll eventually catch these 2 idiots, and that will be the end of this little crime spree.</p>
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</p>
<p>When I saw the DP this morning, I knew poster X would be bringing it to the Penn board. I was hoping to post it before he did, but he's too fast for me.</p>
<p>Perhaps I need to scan the Yale/New Haven papers to bring negative news to the Yale board. Nah, I have better ways to spend my time.</p>
<p>Really? Actually I heard through a friend. But good info to know since I visit Philly on occasion (and because it can happen anywhere)... a similar thing happened a few years ago in NY, but the M.O. was different.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Perhaps I need to scan the Yale/New Haven papers to bring negative news to the Yale board.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>There is no negative news either at Yale or in New Haven.</p>