U.S. Open Fans Impressed With SEPTA's Special Service
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Getting to and from the U.S. Open is a bit of a challenge but Septa is getting high marks from spectators who are flocking to mass transit to get there. Ridership on the two lines serving the open is way up.
Barry Sable took Septa to the Open yesterday. That's because on Tuesday, he drove.
"What an ordeal. I went to Chester and then I had to walk to get onto a bus and then that took 35 minutes so it was a long ordeal. This was a much easier route to go."
Septa is running shuttle buses from the Rosemont station on its Paoli rail line and the Ardmore station on the Norristown High Speed line. Assistant General manager Ron Hopkins says yesterday, the two lines carried nearly 12,000 additional passengers.
"We're very proud about it. They were expecting 25,000 and we're about two-fifths of it and we're very happy about it."
Hopkins says Septa's been working on this for a year and a half and riders say it's paid off.
"It was wonderful, absolutely wonderful. We parked the car, hopped on the train, it was very comfortable, very quick."
"It was very easy, very relaxed."
"Piece a cake."
Hopkins admits Septa's ulterior motive is to make these fans regular riders.
