GFS Transportation Guide 2019-20

GFS GERMANTOWN FRIENDS SCHOOL

TRANSPORTATION 2019-20

31 West Coulter Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144 | 215-951-2339 | germantownfriends.org

Germantown Friends School, nationally recognized for its Quaker values, commitment to excellence, and unique location in historic Germantown, proudly serves families from a wide variety of neighborhoods within the city of Philadelphia and from the surrounding suburbs. In total, GFS draws families from more than 80 zip codes in the Delaware Valley region.

Transportation methods frequently utilized by GFS students:

. .Philadelphia and suburban township school district busing (free of charge) . .Private door-to-door busing for certain routes (provided for a fee) . .Private shuttles to and from predetermined pick-up and drop-off locations (provided for a fee) . .Public transportation (SEPTA train and/or bus) . .Carpooling with GFS families Our Transportation Department is here to assist you in determining the best transportation plan for your family. Families register for school district busing and private transportation options in the late spring for the following school year. If the deadline has passed, families may contact the GFS Transportation Department.

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PHILADELPHIA RESIDENTS SCHOOL DISTRICT BUSING | GRADES 1-6

Philadelphia residents who live more than 1.5 miles from GFS qualify for free bus transportation for students in grades 1-6. Currently, there are five (5) Philadelphia School District (PSD) bus routes that transport GFS students exclusively and are determined by the PSD. The pick-up/ drop-off location can be up to a half-mile from the student’s home. These routes generally have the same driver from Philly Transportation (“Philly Trans,” the yellow school bus company contracted by the PSD) each day. The GFS Transportation Department, which acts as a liaison between the PSD, Philly Trans, and GFS families, will forward the names of all enrolled families to the district. They, in turn, will create the routes and schedules and notify you directly of your child’s pick-up and drop-off times and location in late August.

Note: The Philadelphia School District will no longer allow 7th and 8th graders to ride the school buses with younger siblings. PSD also does not offer free public school busing to Early Childhood or Kindergarten students.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION (SEPTA) | GRADES 7-12

Once a Philadelphia resident enters grade 7, school district busing is no longer provided.

Instead, students in grades 7-12, who live more than 1.5 miles from GFS, qualify for a free SEPTA Transpass, distributed each week at the Front Desk in the Main Building. To ride the SEPTA Regional Rail, these Transpasses can be upgraded weekly for a modest fee. For further information about upgrading a Transpass to a Railpass, visit www.septa.org and select Fares from the Getting Around menu in the upper left-hand navigation, scroll down to Types of Fares and select Kindergarten Through 12th Grade Students.

Several SEPTA bus routes serve the area surrounding GFS. The 23 bus stops at the corner of Germantown & Coulter. The H and XH routes stop at the corner of Greene & Coulter. For students, faculty, and staff who travel via SEPTA Regional Rail, GFS contracts with Philly Trans to provide a free shuttle between campus and the Queen Lane Station each morning and afternoon. The Queen Lane Station, on the Chestnut Hill West Regional Rail line, is adjacent to the GFS playing fields at Midvale and Wissahickon Avenues. There is also a morning shuttle from Wayne Junction (a major stop on the Airport; Warminster; West Trenton; Lansdale/ Doylestown; Chestnut Hill East Line; and Fox Chase Regional Rail lines) for any trains that arrive by 7:50 a.m.

Please keep in mind that during the fall and spring, when sports for grades 6-12 are in session at our Athletic Fields, students may ride the free GFS field shuttle back to Main Campus after practice and travel home from there. Many students choose to travel home via Regional Rail from the Queen Lane Station directly after sports’ dismissal.

TRANSPORTATION@GERMANTOWNFRIENDS.ORG | 215-951-2339

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SUBURBAN TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS SCHOOL DISTRICT BUSING | KINDERGARTEN-GRADE 12

Each township provides transportation in different ways. Some transport only GFS students door to door; some send students to a central location, then re-route them to GFS; and some bus GFS students along with students from neighboring independent schools. Suburban school districts do not generally transport students if the distance exceeds 10 miles. Please check with your local school district or the GFS Transportation Department for more details or to confirm transportation options from your home to GFS. The GFS Transportation Department, which acts as a liaison with the suburban school districts, will forward the names of all enrolled families to the districts. The districts will create the routes and schedules and notify families directly of a child’s pick-up and drop-off times and location in late August. The following suburban school districts and/or townships provide transportation to GFS for grades Kindergarten-12:

. .Abington School District . .Cheltenham School District . .Colonial School District . .Lower Merion School District . .Lower Moreland Township . .Haverford Township

. .Springfield Township . .Upper Dublin School District . .Upper Darby School District . .Upper Merion Area School District . .Upper Moreland School District . .Wissahickon School District

PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION PAID OPTIONS | EARLY CHILDHOOD-GRADE 12

GFS offers fee-based private transportation between three regions (noted in the maps on pages 7-10) and our Main Campus in Germantown. There are four levels of service utilizing the same vehicles. These service levels and route options, managed by our partner Philly Trans, are available to all students in Early Childhood through grade 12.

Any and all families who reside outside of these predetermined (mapped) service areas are welcome to come into the service areas on their own to take advantage of the private transportation options from anywhere within them. Please note: Within Map B (downtown Philadelphia), the door-to-door option is not available in order to lessen the duration of the ride.

Option/Level 1: Door-to-Door Service Currently there are three (3) door-to-door transportation routes: Fairmount/Art Museum; Chestnut Hill/Mt. Airy; and Blue Bell. These routes may be combined or altered from year-toyear based on ridership GFS door-to-door transportation is the most customized option, offering morning pick-up and afternoon drop-off at your front door for families residing in the areas on Maps A and C. The

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door-to-door stops are serviced along the same routes and with the same vehicles as other private transportation options. There are currently two departure times from Main Campus: one immediately following the school day dismissal time and another leaving at 4:30 p.m.

YEARLY RATES ONE-WAY

ROUND-TRIP

$3,300

$5,500

Option/Level 2: Center City/Downtown Philadelphia Neighborhood Stops This service transports students to and from a handful of centrally located, predetermined neighborhood stops in downtown Philadelphia (see Map B on pages 7-8). Rides can be arranged for morning pick-up and/or drop-off home from school, departing campus immediately following the school day dismissal or at 4:30 p.m.

YEARLY RATES ONE-WAY

ROUND-TRIP

$2,400

$4,000

This route has the following established pick-up and drop-off stops:

. .Rittenhouse Square (morning pick-up: 18th & Walnut Street; after-school drop-off: 18th & Locust Street)

. .The Curtis Center (6th and Walnut) . .Queen Village (morning pick-up: 4th & Bainbridge Street; after-school drop-off: 5th & Bainbridge Street)

Additional neighborhood stops within the route boundaries (see Map B on pages 7-8) will be determined by ridership in September 2019. Philadelphia families who live outside the area designated in Map B are encouraged to come into the area to utilize this service.

Option/Level 3: Prepaid Shuttle Packages This service transports students to and from a handful of centrally located, predetermined stops in downtown Philadelphia (see Map B on pages 7-8); Fairmount/Art Museum (see Map A on pages 7-8); Chestnut Hill/Mt. Airy (see Map C on pages 9-10); and Blue Bell, PA (see Map C on pages 9-10). This is a flexible, more economical option, helpful for families whose pick-up and/or drop-off plans vary week-to-week or day-to-day.

Rides are offered for morning pick-up or afternoon drop-off, departing campus immediately following the school day dismissal or at 4:30 p.m. The prepaid shuttle stops are along the doorto-door routes (see Maps A and C), and along the Center City/downtown Philadelphia route (see Map B) utilizing the same vehicles.

TRANSPORTATION@GERMANTOWNFRIENDS.ORG | 215-951-2339

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The fee is $13 per ride. Families can purchase a prepaid package and take advantage of discounted per-ride rates. Purchased rides can be used by any child in the family and expire at the end of the academic year. Shuttle packages are non-refundable.

PACKAGES

COST

VALUE

25 Rides

$300

$12 per ride

50 Rides

$575

$11.50 per ride

100 Rides

$1,100

$11 per ride

Single Rides

Pay-as-you-go

$13 per ride

Currently, our prepaid shuttle service option offers pick up and drop off to and from Main Campus at the following locations in the mornings and afternoons:

. .Map A: Boathouse Row (Lloyd Hall, Kelly Drive & Waterworks Drive); and 25th & Pennsylvania Avenue (Northeast corner)

. .Map B: Rittenhouse Square (morning pick-up: 18th & Walnut Street; after-school drop-off: 18th & Locust Street); The Curtis Center (6th and Walnut); and Queen Village (morning pick-up: 4th & Bainbridge Street; after-school drop-off: 5th & Bainbridge Street)

. .Map C: Suburban Shuttle to Blue Bell (Wings Field, Narcissa Road)

Option/Level 4: Middle School Sports Bus The Middle School Sports Bus option is designed to transport Middle School athletes home or to their neighborhood after sports practices, which are held Mondays-Thursdays. With this option, door-to-door transportation is available for students who reside within the areas on Map A (see pages 7-8) and Map C (see pages 9-10). For students who reside within the area on Map B (see pages 7-8), drop off occurs at one of the predetermined neighborhood stops in downtown Philadelphia.

When sports are in session, riders return to Main Campus via the free GFS field shuttle and board the appropriate private route. This service does not include transportation on Fridays or during intersessions (the 3-4 week periods of time between sports seasons).

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MS SPORTS BUS

PER SEASON

YEARLY

Door-to-Door Routes

$880

$2,640

Downtown Philadelphia Neighborhood Stops

$700

$2,100

GERMANTOWNFRIENDS.ORG

OTHER ARRANGEMENTS CARPOOLING

Many families arrange to share driving by setting up carpools. The GFS Blue Book Directory has a listing of families by zip code and can be a helpful resource. The school division offices and the Parents Association may also be of assistance in connecting families.

SIGN-UP INFORMATION

Online transportation request forms for the 2019-20 school year must be completed before June 15 of each school year. The appropriate forms can be found in the Parent Portal of the GFS website. After the deadline, please contact the GFS Transportation Department at transportation@germantownfriends.org. Note: Email is preferred during the summer when school hours are abbreviated.

BILLING INFORMATION

All GFS transportation costs will be billed through the FACTS Management Company. FACTS charges will be divided equally from September through February. If you sign up after the billing cycle has started, your charges will be divided among the remaining months. Private transportation packages must be cancelled by September 15 or the family will be financially responsible for all charges. Individual rides will be billed periodically through FACTS.

TRANSPORTATION@GERMANTOWNFRIENDS.ORG | 215-951-2339

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A

B

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Families who reside outside of the predetermined service areas in Map A and Map B are welcome to come into the service areas to take advantage of the private transportation options and levels of service.

Please note: Within Map B, the door-to-door option is not available, in order to lessen the duration of the ride.

GFS PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION ROUTE BOUNDARY MAPS A. FAIRMOUNT/ART MUSEUM ROUTE

. .Boundaries: Poplar Street to the north, Kelly Drive to the west, Ben Franklin Parkway and Vine Street to the south, and Broad Street to the east.

. .Door-to-door is available within this service area.

This route offers the following established shuttle stops:

. .Boathouse Row (Lloyd Hall, Kelly Drive & Waterworks Drive)

. .25th & Pennsylvania Avenue (Northeast corner)

B. CENTER CITY/DOWNTOWN NEIGHBORHOOD STOPS ROUTE

. .Boundaries: 3rd Street to the east, Market to

the north, Bainbridge Street to the south, and 24th Street to the west.

. .Door-to-door is not available within this

service area in order to lessen the duration of the ride for all children.

This route offers the following established shuttle stops: . .Rittenhouse Square (morning pick-up: 18th & Walnut Street; after-school drop-off: 18th & Locust Street)

. .Queen Village (morning pick-up: 4th &

Bainbridge Street; after-school drop-off: 5th & Bainbridge Street)

. .The Curtis Center (6th and Walnut) Map data ©2019 Google

Note: Additional stops will be determined by ridership in September.

TRANSPORTATION@GERMANTOWNFRIENDS.ORG | 215-951-2339

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C

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Families who reside outside of the predetermined service area in Map C are welcome to come into the service areas to take advantage of the private transportation options and levels of service.

GFS PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION ROUTE BOUNDARY MAP C. CHESTNUT HILL/MT. AIRY/ WYNDMOOR/BLUE BELL ROUTE

. .Boundaries: Coulter Street to the south,

Germantown Avenue to Cresheim Valley Drive to Stenton Avenue to the east, Wissahickon Avenue to Germantown Pike to the west, and Narcissa Road to the north

. .Door-to-door is available within this service area.

This route offers the following established shuttle stop:

. .Wings Fields (1501 Narcissa Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422)

Note: Additional stops will be determined by ridership in September.

TRANSPORTATION@GERMANTOWNFRIENDS.ORG | 215-951-2339

05/22/19 1:22 PM

Map data ©2019 Google

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TRANSPORTATION AT-A-GLANCE OPTIONS

COST

Private Door-to-Door (Round-trip)

$5,500 per child/year

Private Door-to-Door (One-way)

$3,300 per child/year

Center City/Downtown Neighborhood Stops (Round-trip)

$4,000 per child/year

Center City/Downtown Neighborhood Stops (One-way)

$2,400 per child/year

Prepaid Shuttle Packages

$13 per ride (pay-as-you-go rate) Packages 25 rides: $300 ($12 per ride) 50 rides: $575 ($11.50 per ride) 100 rides: $1,100 ($11 per ride)

Middle School Sports Bus Door-to-door Routes

$2,640 per child/year or $880 per season

Middle School Sports Bus Center City/Downtown Neighborhood Stops Route

$2,100 per child/year or $700 per season

School District Busing

no cost (see pages 2-3)

Public Transportation

www.septa.org

Carpooling

See the GFS Blue Book directory.

GERMA N TOWN FR I ENDS S CH O O L

31 West Coulter Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144 215-951-2339 | transportation@germantownfriends.org