Transport Workers Union Local 234, which represents trolley, bus and subway employees, went on strike Tuesday at 12:01 a.m., with talks continuing through the morning.
Nearly 29 percent of faculty and students rely on subway, bus or trolley routes to get to and from Main Campus, according to a 2015 transportation survey conducted by the university. The last time SEPTA workers from Local 234 went on strike in 2009, it lasted six days.
“For travel within the City of Philadelphia, the only service option will be Regional Rail,” SEPTA wrote in its 2016 Service Interruption Guide.
Temple students, faculty and staff can ride on additional shuttle routes to get around the city, wrote Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Clark in a message to students.
The shuttle service will take students, staff and faculty between the university and North, West and South Philadelphia. The private service began Tuesday and will run every day from 6 to 11 a.m. and resume at 3 p.m. until 10 p.m. The shuttles will not be available between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. or after 10 p.m. The service will pass stops every 20 to 30 minutes.
Students traveling east and west must transfer at City Hall near the Masonic Temple on Broad Street near John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
The shuttles are labeled in their windows with signs that state “Private shuttle, Temple and hotels.” An OWLcard or Health System ID must be presented when boarding.
Besides the private shuttle service, Temple offers parking rates for $8 per day in Lot No. 7 on Norris Street near 11th and 15th Street Lot on 15th Street near Montgomery. Limited parking is also available in Liacouras Garage on 15th Street near Cecil B. Moore.
The strike will not affect Temple’s existing shuttle routes between Main, Health Sciences and Ambler campuses.
Gillian McGoldrick can be reached at gillian.mcgoldrick@temple.edu or on Twitter @gill_mcgoldrick.
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