University City is the one part of our territory where almost every ride is tied to something with a fixed time — a train, a surgery, a lecture, a board meeting. Penn, Drexel, CHOP, Penn Medicine, 30th Street Station and the towers around Schuylkill Yards make it the city's second downtown, and the transport it needs is precise rather than showy. The details that matter here are unglamorous: which level of 30th Street you want, which hospital entrance is the patient pickup, and which campus streets a car is allowed on this week.
Towns we cover here
- University City, Philadelphia
- Powelton Village, Philadelphia
- Spruce Hill, Philadelphia
- Cedar Park, Philadelphia
- Walnut Hill, Philadelphia
- Wynnefield, Philadelphia
- Overbrook, Philadelphia
- Parkside, Philadelphia
Venues Across This Territory
A short list of the places our chauffeurs run to regularly. If yours isn't here, it almost certainly still is — call and ask.
William H. Gray III 30th Street Station
University CityAmtrak's Philadelphia hub, with separate levels for arrivals and departures — the single most common source of a missed connection here.
Sheraton Philadelphia University City
University CitySited between the Penn and Drexel campuses, with the Benjamin Franklin Ballroom and the William Penn Suite for events.
The Study at University City
University CityOver 7,000 square feet of event space, walking distance to Penn, Drexel, HUP, CHOP and the station.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
University CityPatient pickup is a specific, signed location that is not the main entrance — worth knowing before you arrive.
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
University CityPenn Medicine's main campus, with the same distinction between the visitor entrance and the patient pickup point.
Annenberg Center
Penn campusPerformances and university events, on a stretch of campus where vehicle access is restricted.
The Roads We Actually Take
30th Street Station — get the level right
Arrivals and departures are on different levels, and choosing the wrong one costs about ten minutes at exactly the moment nobody has ten minutes. We ask which train and which direction when you book, not when we pull in.
Sometimes the honest answer is take the train
For New York or Washington, Amtrak from 30th Street will usually beat a car, and we will say so. What we are good at is the leg either side of it — getting you to the platform with time to spare, and having a car waiting when you come back at eleven at night.
To PHL
A short run down I-76 or across the Schuylkill to I-95. It is one of the more reliable airport trips in the city, which makes University City a straightforward base for anyone flying regularly.
Which Car Fits Which Street
The difference between a car that arrives and a car that arrives correctly.
Penn's campus is largely car-free
Locust Walk is a walkway, not a street, and much of the core campus cannot be driven. The pickup point is a perimeter street, and which one depends on the building. We work it out in advance rather than sending a chauffeur to circle a pedestrian precinct.
Hospital entrances are not interchangeable
At CHOP and HUP the patient pickup point is specific, signed, and enforced — and it is not the main visitor entrance. For anyone being discharged, or travelling with a wheelchair or equipment, arriving at the wrong door turns a short walk into a long one. We ask which entrance.
Move-in and commencement close the campuses
Penn and Drexel both shut streets for move-in and graduation weekends, and those are precisely the weekends families most need a car. We check the academic calendar against your date and plan the approach around the closures.
The station's traffic pattern is one-way and unforgiving
The approach roads around 30th Street are one-way loops. A missed turn is a full circuit. This is a place where the chauffeur knowing the layout is worth more than any feature of the vehicle.
Rowhouse blocks west of the campuses
Spruce Hill, Cedar Park and Powelton Village are Victorian rowhouse streets with parking both sides. They are wider than South Philadelphia but they are not wide, and a full-size van still needs a plan.
Mercedes S-Class
Mercedes S-Class · Up to 3 passengers
Most of what we do here is one or two people with a fixed appointment — a train to make, a meeting to reach, a discharge to get home from. The S-Class is quiet, it is comfortable for a patient or an executive equally, and it fits the campus perimeter streets and the station loop without drama. When it is a visiting team or a family weekend we move up to the Escalade or the Sprinter.
View this vehicleServices in West Philly & University City
Corporate Travel
Reliable executive transportation with tailored client profiles, efficient scheduling, and a professional chauffeur every time.
Learn moreAirport & Hotel Transfers
Punctual PHL airport pickups and hotel transfers with flight tracking, meet-and-greet, and luggage assistance.
Learn moreRoad Shows
Rigorous multi-stop schedules handled with ease — FAA flight tracking, GPS, and constant chauffeur communication.
Learn moreMeetings & Events
Dependable group transportation with meticulous planning and on-site coordination, from small gatherings to large events.
Learn moreQuestions, Answered
Which level of 30th Street Station will you meet me on?
Whichever one your train uses — tell us the train and the direction when you book. Arrivals and departures are on separate levels and picking the wrong one costs around ten minutes, usually at the worst possible moment.
Can you collect a patient being discharged from CHOP or HUP?
Yes, and we ask which entrance rather than assuming. Patient pickup at both hospitals is a specific signed location that isn't the main visitor entrance, which matters a great deal if someone is travelling with a wheelchair or equipment.
Where can you actually pick up on Penn's campus?
On a perimeter street, and which one depends on the building — much of the core campus is pedestrian only and Locust Walk is a walkway. Give us the building and we'll agree the pickup point before the day.
Is a car faster than the train to New York?
Usually not, and we'll tell you so. Amtrak from 30th Street generally beats driving to New York or Washington. Where we earn our place is the legs either side — getting you to the platform with time in hand, and having a car waiting when you get back late.
Do you handle move-in and graduation weekends?
Yes, and they need planning. Penn and Drexel both close streets for those weekends, which are exactly the weekends families most want a car. We check the academic calendar against your date and route around the closures.