Many freshmen have indicated an interest in the PennPass. On the face of it, it’s a great deal. No tokens! A mere $280 per semester for unlimited trips on SEPTA! And this is a 10% discount from four monthly passes!

Except it’s still not a good deal for most undergraduates – to break even on the Pass, you have to take SEPTA at least twice every day (including weekends) on average. Check out below the fold for the math.

That being said, the PennPass is a great and convienent deal for our small but significant commuter undergraduate population. But it’s not a good deal for those living on campus; not even the most dedicated urbanite travels into Center City and back every single day of the week for the whole semester.

The UA will continue to lobby for a good deal for undergraduates across this city from SEPTA – hopefully with SEPTA’s transition to a tokenless system we will finally see a PennPass that works for undergrads!

The math adds up pretty easily:

1. A pass costs $280 per semester.

2. Fall semester has 94 days between first day of classes and last day of finals (inclusive), according to the Registrar. Note that the Pass does run for the whole of September and December in the Fall, but are you really going to be here before term starts and after Finals?

3. $280 per semester divided by 94 days comes to $2.90 per day.

4. A SEPTA Token costs $1.45. It is good for one trip.

5. $1.45 multiplied by 2 comes to $2.90.

6. $2.90 is what you’re spending per day on the PennPass.

BOTTOM LINE: The PennPass is only worth your money (breaking even, not saving anything) if and only if you take SEPTA twice every day, including Saturday and Sunday.