Despite recent shootings, violent crime on SEPTA has decreased. Here’s what we know.

Twice in the past week, shootings have struck SEPTA buses and left four people injured from gunfire, authorities said, raising questions about safety on the public transit system and protocols to protect riders.

The incidents come at a time when gun violence is on the decline in the city after three years of record-setting gun violence. While there have been stabbings, shootings, and other violent attacks on SEPTA property, including on subway concourses and trains in the past year, there have been fewer shootings so far in 2024 than during the same period in 2023, in line with citywide trends.

Through Oct. 10, SEPTA has documented 13 incidents involving shootings, down from 16 during the same period last year.

Here’s what we know about the recent shootings and the state of crime on SEPTA.

On Tuesday, three women were injured when a man shot at a G bus in West Philadelphia, police said.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m. at 57th and Catharine Streets, four men, including the shooter, got off of a G bus when the gunman, brandishing a black-and-silver gun, fired at the bus and injured passengers, police said.

A 56-year-old woman was shot once in the lower back, a 29-year-old woman was shot in the right buttock, and a 60-year-old woman was grazed on the right side of her head, police said. All three women were taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and were listed in stable condition.

Police released images and a description of the shooter Wednesday and are asking the public for help in identifying and finding him.

Police said the suspect has a medium build, a light beard, and shoulder-length dreadlocks. He was last seen wearing a black Under Armour zip-up jacket over a white T-shirt, black pants, gray sneakers, and a blue surgical mask, police said.

The second shooting happened just after 6:15 p.m. on Oct. 4 when police say a 17-year-old was critically injured on a bus at Allegheny Avenue near Third Street. The teen was taken by private vehicle to Temple University Hospital, where he was listed in critical but stable condition with several gunshot wounds, police said.

The suspected shooter, described as a male wearing all-black clothing, got off the bus and fled in a silver Kia, which was located and pursued by police until it crashed at Fifth Street and Glenwood Avenue, police said. One person in the Kia ran from the car and was apprehended, but another remains at large, police said.

Investigators said an altercation between several men on the bus likely sparked the shooting near Allegheny Avenue and Fifth Street. The bus had several bullet holes, and spent shell casings were found on the highway in the 300 block of West Allegheny Avenue, police said.

Despite the recent shootings, violent crime on SEPTA has decreased from last year, according to SEPTA data. Serious crimes dropped by 37% from the start of the year through June 30 compared to the same time frame in 2023, the data show.

Through Oct. 10, SEPTA had 13 incidents involving shootings, down from 16 the same time last year.

Violent crimes, including aggravated assaults and robberies, decreased by 47% through June 30, the data show. Aggravated assaults dropped from 71 to 50, and robberies dropped from 146 to 63, the data show.

The transit agency has said it has made rider safety a priority, and has added transit officers to patrols to make buses safer and increased penalties for nonviolent, quality-of-life crimes.

Between 2019 and 2022, SEPTA saw a drastic increase in quality-of-life crimes, which includes infractions like smoking and public urination, according to SEPTA data.

Antisocial behavior on the transit system increased in the wake of the pandemic, and many commuters complained of a sense of disorder and an unsafe environment. In response, SEPTA announced it would be stepping up enforcement against littering, public urination, smoking, and other offenses that diminish riders’ experiences of SEPTA.

Transit police officers are now issuing fines of up to $100 for violations of the Philadelphia city code on SEPTA vehicles and property, penalties backed up by the courts. Previously, SEPTA officers had been handing out $25 “administrative enforcement notices” based on the agency’s conduct rules, fines that were rarely paid and did little to deter these violations.

As of July 1, hard copies of the misconduct tickets — formally code violation notices — are to be sent to the city’s Office of Administrative Review (OAR). Offenders can pay the fine or request a hearing to fight the charge within 10 days.

From there, additional fines can be added for nonpayment, and the case can be bumped up to Municipal Court, with a maximum fine of $300, plus court costs.

Along with focusing on quality-of-life crimes, SEPTA is increasing bus patrols by transit officers this year, SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said.

“Our officers have started new bus patrols this year in an effort to show more of a police presence on buses,” Busch said in an email. “Officers ride along while buses are in service, both for regular patrols and on buses where there have been issues reported or we have high instances of fare evasion.”

The SEPTA transit police roster is now at 230 officers, Busch said, higher than the pre-pandemic number.