TWU Local 234 members vote to authorize a strike The union consists of nearly 5,000 septa workers, which includes bus drivers, trolley operators, mechanics, and ticket takers Contract doesn’t expire until Halloween The workers are demanding higher pay to keep up with inflation, higher wages for newer employees, as well as safer working conditions SEPTA passes being given out to 25,000 low income residents across Philadelphia by the end of the year 1,000 keycards have been mailed so far Uses automatic enrollment instead of sign up or application process 90% of participants were randomly selected through a lottery based system using data on incomes City has committed $62 million over the next two years, with it only being funded for 25,000 people and not the 400,000 who would be eligible Hearing held discussing the Roosevelt Boulevard Subway extension The city council committee on transportation and public utilities discussed along with SEPTA about the expansion on a virtual hearing The extension could go from the existing Erie subway station on the Broad Street Line and go up a few stops on the Boulevard, going as far up as Neshaminy The extension could serve a chunk of Philadelphia that previously hasn’t been served by high-capacity public transit Council agreed that the line would be good for the city and potentially bring good union jobs SEPTA more lenient on strollers Open strollers are no longer restricted based on time of day Still restricted based on crowding Starting Mid-2024, new buses will have a designated open stroller parking spot, separate from priority seating areas Open Strollers still not allowed on Trolleys based on constraints involving accessibility The priority seating area must be vacated to allow a person with disability to board and ride.
SEPTA Riders can pay with card Starting Friday, SEPTA riders will be able to tap a credit or debit card or flash a smartphone wallet to pay for trips on transit trains, trolleys and buses Following the lead of other cities Key has suffered from glitches and mounting costs since the card was introduced in 2016 — two years later than scheduled, potential issue with credit card could ensue too Won’t be available on Regional Rail until 2024 Concerns Glitches could very well hinder the progress Uneven roll out, some places will have it before others causing mass confusion.
SEPTA Board Meeting This Thursday (February 23rd), SEPTA is holding a board meeting on their Capitol Budget.
Some Highlights from the Agenda $124 million contract to HTNB Consultancy firm for KOP Rail Design $900 million to Alstom to acquire rolling stock for Trolley Modernization $9 million to Swell LLC Consultancy firm for Advertising and other “ridership building opportunities” $1.5 million to New Flyer to buy ten Hydrogen-Fueled buses to operate out of Midvale $30 million for new Wissahickon Transit Center Despite it’s high costs and low ridership projections, SEPTA is noticeably continuing to spend public money on KOP Rail.
It’s been a little over a year since SEPTA started “Bus Revolution,” their cost-neutral bus network redesign. The “Bus Revolution” is proposing many changes, including frequency changes, splitting up and merging routes, consolidating bus stops, and cutting some routes and even eliminating transit service to some parts of Greater Philadelphia.
A cost neutral redesign means no increase in overall service, just a reorganization of existing resources. Any changes proposed will involve “trade offs”– some areas get more service, some get less.
Stuff to know SEPTA “Bus Revolution” Transit Talk On June 14th the SEPTA “Bus Revolution” team hosted a Transit Talk where they went over the results of their last two months of outreach for SEPTA’s cost-neutral bus network redesign. Only 1,774 riders responded to their survey, while the Community Conversation had 254 participants, and in-person comments were received from 153 riders. Even operators, which would be one of the easiest groups to reach out to, with intimate, first hand knowledge of the bus system, the consultancy team only presented their proposals to 13 of them.
Stuff to know Proposed SEPTA Fare Changes If you missed it last week, the SEPTA board will be voting on the proposed fare changes this month. Though there are no fare increases and even some fare decreases, moving forward we propose the following:
Simplify the fare structure. There are a lot of different, confusing, and conflicting fare options. Lower regional rail fare within Philadelphia to match transit fare. Now is the time for SEPTA to move toward integrating its transit system.
Lance Haver breaks down the FY 2023 SEPTA budget on Philly Hall Monitor
SEPTA’s budget and the organization as a whole can be strange and confusing. In the video below, Lance Haver explains the FY2023 SEPTA budget, the SEPTA board and more on Philadelphia Hall Monitor.
Proposed fare changes For more information: FY 2023 Capital Budget proposal (highlights) FY 2023 Operating Budget proposal (highlights) Reporting from Tom Fitzgerald in the Philadelphia Inquirer: “It’s the biggest capital budget in the agency’s 58-year history.” Public hearings for the SEPTA Operating Budget: May 16, 2022 – 10:00 am & 4:00 pm May 18, 2022 – 11:00 am & 6:00 pm Public hearings for the SEPTA Capital Budget: May 23, 2022 – 10:00 am & 4:00 pm Want to organize for public transit?
Thanks to everyone that participated in the strategic planning through the survey and at our last general meeting. The coordinating committee is actively going through that feedback to make a plan for the TRU moving forward. If you’d like to be involved in that work let us know: org@phillytru.org
Stuff to know SEPTA’s proposed fare changes The SEPTA board will be voting on proposed fare changes in May 2022. There’s a lot to like about the proposed changes: there are no increases and even some decreases.
Darion Porter, Patrick Garraud・
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In Philly, 1933: Vocalist Celeste Cole refused to be moved to the back of the bus
Celeste Cole in the Richmond Planet, September 13, 1930 Philadelphia has a long history of people advocating for better and more equitable transit. Unfortunately, many instances of bus discrimination, and the protests they triggered, are rarely known about today. While Rosa Parks’s protest in Montgomery are well documented, there are plenty of examples of similar protests within Philadelphia.
The political climate for Black transit riders in the Northeast during the early 20th century wasn’t incredibly different from the Jim Crow South.
On Tuesday, June 29th, 2021 members of the Philly Transit Riders Union (TRU) along with other transit organizations embarked on a bus trip from Philadelphia to Harrisburg to rally on the capitol steps and introduce legislators to a public transit funding platform written by transit riders and workers.
The Philly TRU had a moment in the spotlight as it was the only organization from Philadelphia that spoke at the rally about the importance of public transit.