As the school year begins, let’s take SEPTA more often

With more Philly workers returning to the office, traffic congestion will likely surge as the school year begins. Let’s make a collective decision to take SEPTA more often.

Students exit a SEPTA bus in March outside Northeast High School. As the school year starts again, Anne Dicker writes that fellow Philadelphians should commit to taking SEPTA more often.Read moreAlejandro A. Alvarez / Staff Photographer

by Anne Dicker, For The Inquirer

Published Aug. 19, 2024, 9:00 a.m. ET

As summer ends, many Philadelphians are gearing up for the return to daily routines — school drop-offs, work commutes, and the usual hustle and bustle. This year, we can make an important decision to improve our lives, city, and environment: take SEPTA.

With more city workers returning to the office, traffic congestion will likely surge as the school year begins. We’ve all experienced the frustration of being stuck in gridlock, watching the minutes tick by. Unsurprisingly, Philadelphia ranks as the sixth most congested city in America and 13th in the world. The truth is, if you’re sitting in traffic, you are the traffic.

Instead of spending billions adding extra lanes to I-95 or I-76, there’s a simple, cost-effective solution: public transit. By choosing to ride SEPTA, we’re not just easing our own commute, but we’re also contributing to a collective effort to reduce congestion and improve our city’s traffic situation.

SEPTA has been working hard to improve safety and service across its network. Under the leadership of Leslie S. Richards, and with support from our “can-do” mayor, Cherelle L. Parker, serious crime has significantly decreased this year. The improvements are making a difference, and using our public transit system is the best way to encourage continued progress.

By choosing SEPTA, we can also help stabilize its finances, ensuring the transit system continues to serve all Philadelphians.

But taking SEPTA — whether it’s the bus, trolley, or Regional Rail — offers numerous other benefits, as well.

For families, public transit offers an opportunity to teach kids independence and self-reliance.

Taking the train or bus can be a pleasant, even relaxing experience. Unlike the stress of a congested commute, public transit lets you sit back, read a book, or enjoy the ride. It’s an experience that can transform the start and end of your day, providing a bit of peace in an otherwise hectic schedule.

For families, public transit offers an opportunity to teach kids independence and self-reliance. In an era where helicopter parenting is common, giving children the responsibility of navigating public transit is a valuable lesson. With the SEPTA app and a SEPTA Key card, your child has everything they need to navigate the city and adjust their plans when delays or interruptions occur.

Last year, we discovered that our local train — the Chestnut Hill West (CHW) line — could take our daughter directly to her school in Conshohocken. We weren’t “SEPTA smart” at first, and didn’t know that one of the early CHW trains connects with the Norristown/Manayunk line at Jefferson Station, arriving at her school just on time. A friendly volunteer from the public transit advocacy group I cofounded, Save the Train, showed us how — pointing out that all this information was available online through the SEPTA app.

After just one practice run with me, my daughter was sold on SEPTA — and she’s been a train enthusiast ever since. She now regularly takes the train with friends on the weekend to visit Reading Terminal Market, and the No. 23 bus up to visit the candy shop in Chestnut Hill.

It might feel a little unnerving to give a 13-year-old the freedom to go anywhere, anytime on transit — but when else will they learn? If you’ve read The Coddling of the American Mind by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt, you know that today’s kids are given few opportunities to explore the world and build resilience independently.

They’ll likely discover that the world isn’t as scary as it’s portrayed and that Philadelphia is full of strangers willing to help. We’re much friendlier and more helpful than we give ourselves credit for.

As the new school year approaches, let’s make a collective decision to take SEPTA more often — for our benefit, our children’s growth, and our city’s health. Public transit is an asset we should all support, and the benefits extend far beyond just getting from point A to point B.

It’s about creating a better, more sustainable Philadelphia for everyone.

Anne Dicker is a cofounder and former leader of Save the Train. She lives in Mount Airy.