Helping students get to New York and Philadelphia, however, does not have to be another financial burden for the University — in fact, it could be an opportunity. A Princeton-sponsored bus that runs between Philadelphia, Princeton and New York on weekends would be a boon to everyone in the Princeton community and could potentially become a profitable venture as well.
Because NJ Transit prices are so exorbitant, the University has latitude to charge a ticket price that ensures the venture will not operate at a loss, even if demand is low. This is especially relevant for prices for people not affiliated with the University — it’s not easy, after all, for local high school students to take weekend trips to New York either. With stops at colleges in Philadelphia and New York, a Princeton bus, with competitive prices and more convenient locations, might also appeal to students who attend other colleges in these two cities. Pending its popularity, the busing system could expand to weekdays to accommodate graduate students and faculty commuting from New York and Philadelphia.
Wellesley College has a similar system in place for weekend transportation between the college and Cambridge, Mass., with stops at Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology for $3. Bus tickets are sold at the Wellesley, Harvard and MIT campus centers and university stores. The connection between all-girls Wellesley and Boston is obviously more necessary than that between Princeton and New York/Philadelphia; still, Wellesley and Princeton are both suburban colleges otherwise cut off from our nearest cities. If the Wellesley Senate Bus can efficiently run every hour, it is reasonable to assume that a Princeton bus that leaves two or three times a day on the weekends would also garner a critical mass of passengers.
There are numerous reasons why New York and Philadelphia are essential to the Princeton experience. They are home to a number of other universities; they are gateways to essentially anywhere else in the country; and they grant a welcome change of scenery and provide a stress reliever. For me, New York provides perspective on the relative triviality of the daily goings-on at Princeton. It reminds me that there is more to life than deflated grades or my upcoming essay. Every New York or Philadelphia aficionado has his or her own reasons for loving these cities. Regardless of the reason, I imagine all of us would greatly appreciate a cheaper way to travel there.
This general concept is certainly not a novel one — a similar idea was proposed by Felipe Winsberg ’12 in a column last March, and the idea was also briefly considered by the USG earlier this semester. It was not, however, highlighted in any of the candidates’ platforms in the recent USG election, nor was it brought up at the debates with the presidential and vice presidential candidates. I recognize that the USG is busy with more significant issues, but with the recent fare hikes, I hope this will become a more pressing concern.
It is predictably difficult to gauge student interest beyond the grumblings one hears about being stuck on campus. There is currently no statistical data on weekend train travel between Princeton and New York and Philadelphia. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, however, Princeton Junction regularly ranks among the 15 busiest Amtrak stations, which could be indicative of the level of traffic that might flow to a new Princeton bus. There is good reason to think that weekend travel to the cities would be popular among students and Princeton locals; but more research needs to be done for accurate information on current student travel habits and the preferred times for New York- and Philadelphia-bound buses.
Princeton is a wonderful place, but I think most would agree that it feels stifling at times. Of course, I’d never say that on my Orange Key tour. Instead, I tend to deflect relevant questions by referring to the Orange Bubble as a “nurturing” or “fostering” community. It’s one of our little white lies about life at Princeton. With convenient transportation outside the bubble, however, this can be one less half-truth we have to tell.
Brandon Davis is a sophomore from Westport, Conn. He can be reached at bsdavis@princeton.edu.
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