Summer 2020 SEPTA Schedule change

Published: 2 minute read

With the world facing the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen the best in humanity during these difficult and challenging times. Locally, the brave employees at SEPTA have been working hard providing an essential service to help us weather through this crisis.

As our region begins to enter the yellow phase, we’re looking to SEPTA to make sure the riding public is able to get where they need to go, safely, reliably, and affordably.

Unfortunately, yet again, SEPTA has dropped the ball in communicating.

On Sunday, June 14th & Monday, June 15th, new summer schedules went into effect for numerous routes. SEPTA gave riders only three days notice and no details about specific schedule changes.

SEPTA’s website says:

TRANSIT SERVICE UPDATE SUMMER SCHEDULE CHANGE SUNDAY, JUNE 14/MONDAY, JUNE 15

Summer schedules go into effect for most Bus, Trolley, Market Frankford, Broad Street and Norristown High Speed Line Routes effective June 14/15. Changes reflect the removal of school service and select headway modifications. Routes 204, and LUCY GOLD and Green Routes continue to operate on a reduced schedule and Routes 91 remains suspended. Select Market Frankford, Broad Street, and Trolley Line Stations remain CLOSED.

This is the entirety of the information that is posted in regards to the schedule change– no link to new schedules, no summary of the headway changes or anything of that matter.

In the mid 90s, SEPTA’s printed schedules provided ALL of the information a rider needed to know about a route: timetables, a map, principal points of interest along the route, a fare chart/table, purchase locations for passes and tokens near the route; everything a rider needed to navigate the system.

With the advent of the internet, a lot of this information was placed only online. Not everyone has access to the internet or have a smartphone to download different applications to plan their trip. Information should also be printed on schedules so passengers who have a paper timetable know what is going on.

SEPTA should at a minimum provide detailed information for each route that is changing 10-14 days ahead of that change. SEPTA gives Regional Rail riders ample time and notification regarding schedule changes. They should give transit riders the same courtesy.