How does the SEPTA Bus Revolution impact you?
Enter your address and we’ll talk you through the ways your commute might be different.
SEPTA is overhauling its bus network for the first time in six decades. The transit agency says the changes are needed to survive. In the six years before COVID-19, buses shed 20% of their riders; the pandemic only deepened the decline.
SEPTA buses now average 8 mph on crowded roadways, well below the normal speed in other cities. Obstacles, such as delivery trucks and traffic accidents, also mess with schedules. SEPTA’s aim was to shorten and simplify routes and better integrate buses with subways and trolleys to provide more frequent service, including on weekends, in high-demand areas.
Planners unveiled a second draft of the redesign in late March after considering rider criticism of proposed changes in the first.
What about your journey? Enter your address below and we’ll talk you through any changes in your area.
Enter your address and see how SEPTA's Bus Revolution impacts you.
Loading…You currently have access to these , within a mile of your address. Route is considered a trackless trolley, meaning it is a bus that gets power from electric lines above. As a result, these lines will remain the same under the Bus Revolution. For now we consider route 15 a bus route until refurbished historic trolleys roll out in the fall.
Tap on a route below to view in detailHover over a route below to view in detailYou currently have a choice of .
SEPTA has been working on a new system with the hope of making it easier to use and run. Under the most recently proposed system, within the same radius as before, you would have and access to these
. Under the new system you will no longer have access to traditional bus routes.
Tap on a route below to view in detailHover over a route below to view in detailSEPTA’s new proposal will give you access to the on-demand zone. This is a new service, similar to Uber or Lyft, where you can request a ride anywhere else within the zone for regular fare.
The new plan would introduce a “MAX” system that tells the rider how long they should expect to wait. Buses are grouped by 10-minute, 15-minute, 30-minute, and 60-minute max wait times.
Here’s that same 10-, 15-, 30-, 60-minute color system applied to current routes with the addition of some routes with waits over 60 minutes. However, SEPTA says only one quarter of its bus routes achieved 80% on-time service in fall 2019.
And here’s where those routes travel to.
Current
Proposed
Tap on a route below to view in detailHover over a route below to view in detail
Current
Proposed
Want to explore further?
SEPTA currently provides full system maps via a service called Remix. This allows readers to look closely at routes, stops, potential schedules, and more. Alternatively, you can jump back to the top and enter a different address here.
What’s next?
SEPTA has scheduled 11 in-person community meetings through May 11 and may add more to share the updates, answer questions, and gather feedback. At least 15 pop-up meetings with riders are planned at transportation centers and other key points. And people can choose from four Bus Revolution webinars. Information on the events is here.
In the summer, the project team plans to finalize its recommended plan. Then formal public hearings will be held in advance of the SEPTA board’s vote on the changes, likely in the fall, Implementation is likely to begin in 2024.
Still have questions? Join us on May 4.
Riders can also join Inquirer transportation reporter Thomas Fitzgerald on May 4 at 3 p.m. when he interviews SEPTA planner Dan Nemiroff about Bus Revolution live on Inquirer.com. Submit your questions to Inquirer.com/live for a chance to have them answered during the conversation.
Methodology
Max wait times for existing routes are calculated by the number of buses that visit a common stop between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. These times were chosen to match how SEPTA is calculating the max wait times for the proposed system. The only exception to this is route 78, which only operates outside of those hours. We used schedules from SEPTA’s website that were collected on April 14, 2023.
Route 91 was included in current system data provided by SEPTA. However, we’ve excluded it from the current map as the service has been suspended since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
All routes are represented by geographic data provided by SEPTA. Some routes might vary slightly in real life compared to the map.
Current bus system routes have different patterns within them. This means that some routes might have slightly different stops and destinations. For brevity we’ve merged all patterns in a given route.
The proposed bus system also had a handful of routes with identical names. These were mostly one large route and one section of that larger route. For brevity, we’ve removed duplicates of the smaller sections of these routes.
Staff Contributors
- Design, Development, Reporting, and Data: Sam Morris
- Reporting: Thomas Fitzgerald
- Editing: Erica Palan
- Digital Editing: Katie Krzaczek
- Copy Editing: Lidija Dorjkhand