SEPTA’s board recently approved its first comprehensive bus service overhaul in six decades.
The adjustments, part of the agency’s previously-titled Bus Revolution which was first launched in 2021, are planned to take effect in the summer of 2025. According to SEPTA’s Bus Revolution website, the goals are to “put the rider first”, “increase access to opportunity,” and “build trust with reliable service”.
On April 29, the agency released the final draft of the proposal, including specific changes to routes. From the announcement:
The proposed network will offer 30% more frequent routes (buses that come 15 minutes or better between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.), improve access and deliver a simplified bus network. Under the new network, more riders will have access to frequent transit and will benefit from faster, more direct bus routes with reliable schedules and better connections to other SEPTA services.
SEPTA said it will launch an extensive public outreach campaign in the coming months about the new bus network.
“Our partners throughout the city and region have played a major role throughout this process, and we are grateful for their support of SEPTA,” SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr said in a statement. “In particular, I want to thank members of Philadelphia City Council for working with us on a series of public meetings this spring that helped shape this final plan.”
“The number of frequent routes – those coming 15 minutes or better seven days a week – will increase by 30%,” SEPTA said in a statement. The new network “will also feature more consistent schedules and a streamlined design that will enhance service reliability and help the authority attract new riders.”
The decision to update services was prompted by SEPTA’s dwindling ridership and a desire to reflect changes to Philadelphia and its surrounding communities.
From the Bus Revolution website:
The City of Philadelphia and parts of the surrounding communities are some of the strongest transit markets in the United States. Transit is serving peak oriented trips in Center City well, but missing trips between neighborhoods. Improving service at non-peak travel times and on weekends would have the greatest impact on lower- income workers, who often traveling outside of the peak.
Recommended changes are below:
The approval came on Thursday following eight previous discussions in March and early April. According to the Inquirer, SEPTA made several changes to its proposal in response to criticisms and concerns raised during those meetings.
“This is the first time we’ve done this since the creation of SEPTA. I hope one of the lessons that we take away from this is that we won’t wait another 60 years to do it again,” Kenneth E. Lawrence, SEPTA’s board chairman, said. ”We understand that there’s still some concerns … we’re going to continue to look at this.”
Cheltenham Township officials and Manor College in Jenkintown have voiced opposition to the changes, the Inquirer said. 76 percent of Manor students commute from Philly, according to the college.
An analysis by the Transit Center, a New York think tank, found that the December 2023 proposed changes would not worsen inequalities in access, the Inquirer noted.
For maps and descriptions of the plan and comparisons with current routes, you can click here.
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Image: SEPTA