Penn, Drexel Fall Short in Plan to Avoid Commuting Snarl

Just hours after the Philadelphia Phillies won Game 5 of the World Series on Monday night, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Association employees went on strike, leaving the city of Philadelphia and its suburbs stranded. The University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University had a plan in case a SEPTA strike took place, but it doesn't seem to be working very well.

Many employees have been left in the dark about the schools' contingency plans, the Daily Pennsylvanian reports. Drexel and Penn, along with the University of Pennsylvania Health System, teamed up to create a shuttle service for employees. According to Penn's Business Services Division, notification of the shuttle service had been sent out to school affiliates, who were supposed to pass along the information to employees in need of transportation, the report says. But some employees say they aren't aware of the shuttle program.

One Penn employee, Doreen Gibson, tells the Daily Pennsylvanian that she walked 30 blocks to work yesterday and that neither she nor her friend had received any information about the commuter service.

"They should at least give us the right information about the buses," Gibson says.

Penn told its administrators to be flexible with work hours because of the strike, the report says. The school's contingency plan will remain in place as long as the SEPTA strike continues.

• Searching for a college? Get our complete rankings of America's Best Colleges.