Drexel students returned from spring break ready to start a new term of classes or continue on with co-op, only to find endless construction on campus that extended to parts of West Philadelphia and Center City.

The university announced that regular shuttle service has been suspended due to construction on Market Street, Chestnut Street, 31st Street, 33rd Street, 34th Street, 38th Street, John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Arch Street, Powelton Avenue, Race Street, Broad Street, Baring Street, Hamilton Street, Spring Garden Street, and the Vine Street Expressway.

This development is one of many in a long list of “renovations” that are being rushed through ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be held in June. While Senator Jawn Letterman recently announced nearly $8.5 million of federal funding for SEPTA, this one-time infusion does little to free the city’s transit system from a cycle of fiscal whiplash. Much like Letterman’s own erratic shifts in principle and moral compass, SEPTA remains trapped in a state of deceptive flux: being briefly “refunded” for news headlines while leaving a hopeful voter base just as stranded as the commuters waiting for a bus that never arrives.

“This is the worst thing that’s happened since all my favorite late-night restaurants closed down,” says Jawn Lemon, Drexel University student and SEPTA enthusiast. “It’s bad enough that I have to live in The Summit, but how else am I supposed to get anywhere in the city now?”

The closures have been especially difficult for those commuting to campus from the greater Philadelphia area. 

“I’ve considered transferring schools,” says Saul McFartney, a Drexel student entering the spring quarter of his senior year. “I’ve tried to call SEPTA directly, but I keep getting redirected to Drexel Central. They [Drexel Central] suggested I move back into the dorms, but I’d rather spend more time and money to graduate elsewhere than live in Towers Hall again.”

After countless calls from students, parents, and faculty, Drexel University reluctantly agreed to coordinate with SEPTA to come up with a solution: a Drexel bus will be supplied in an effort to help students get around campus. The bus will run between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. daily, and the university has graciously offered one course credit for the student who volunteers to drive the bus for the entire term. The terms of the contract state that the student would have to supply their own gas.

Drexel also created a fast, efficient, and safe detour route for the extra bus to take, ensuring that students all over campus would be able to get around, despite the closures.

Drexel University was asked to comment on any additional accommodations that would be offered to students impacted by the shuttle closures. “Yeah — good fucking luck,” a representative said.

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