As gas prices increase, people from all over the city, including many students traveling to their summer jobs, are finding public transportation as a cost-cutting means of getting to and from work.
Philadelphia’s public transportation agencies – both SEPTA and the Delaware River Port Authority, operators of the PATCO rail lines – have reported a steady increase in ridership over the past ten months, and they are looking at more riders as the summer months progress and gas prices continue to reach record levels.
The growing ridership is apparent on the trains and buses, which are now crammed to standing-room-only, when last year patrons could easily find a seat. To accommodate the new passengers, SEPTA is using every viable vehicle in its fleet, and it has announced an increased budget along with a larger fleet of buses, according to SEPTA officials.
SEPTA will also be adding more late-night services for bus and Regional Rail lines. "We received a lot of requests from passengers and from the Center City District and Avenue of the Arts folks to offer late-night service," Charlie Webb, SEPTA’s chief officer for service planning, said in a Philadelphia Inquirer interview. "Now we can take riders into the city for restaurants and shows, but we can't bring them home."
More riders, bigger budget
SEPTA ridership has surged over the past 10 months, with a 5 percent increase in ridership from last year, or 13 million additional trips. The Regional Rails system has experienced an increase of 2.8 million more trips, or an increase in 11 percent from last year.
"We have such an incredible ridership boost right now, we want to be able to get everybody to their work shifts on time and get them home after late shifts by increasing frequency of service and adding new service on all divisions," said Webb.
The new riders moved the SEPTA board to pass an increased operating budget of $1.095 billion for next year, about 7 percent higher than the current year’s budget. The majority of the spending, $754 million, will cover salaries and benefits for SEPTA employees.
Most of the budget’s funding, $528 million, comes from government subsidies from the state of Pennsylvania. The state legislature has increased funding for public transportation this fiscal year with the passage of Act 44 in July 2007. The legislation, if fully implemented, will make I-80 a toll road (Read the Speak Out about making I-80 a toll road) and bring in additional money from the possible leasing of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Read the Speak Out about leasing the turnpike).
Fares are expected to provide another $400 million of the SEPTA budget, and there will be no fare increase.
Bigger buses, later trains
With an infusion of new funding, SEPTA is planning to upgrade the buses on the busier lines, increase the number of buses in service at rush hour and have several lines – both bus and Regional Rail – provide service later into the night. Some of the projected changes include:
- Replacing the current 40-foot buses with 60-foot buses on several routes, including Route 14 from Frankford Transportation Center up Roosevelt Boulevard to the Oxford Valley Mall and Routes 124 and 125 from Center City to King of Prussia.;
- Increasing frequency of Route 108 from the 69th Street Station to the Airport to every 10 minutes during peak hours;
- Increasing number of buses for Routes 70 (Fern Rock to Tacony), 21 (69th Street to Penn’s Landing), 17 (Penn’s Landing to South Philadelphia), 42 (West Philadelphia to Penn’s Landing) and 23 (Chestnut Hill to South Philadelphia);
- Extending service on Routes 93, 96 and 99 (Norristown to Pottstown, Landsdale, and Royersford) later into the night to accommodate late-working riders.
- Test-marketing late-night service on Regional rail lines R5, R6 and R7 on Fridays and Saturdays in the fall.
What do you think?
Has the rising cost of fuel forced you to take public transportation more often? Have you noticed an increase in riders on your commute to school or work? What do you think of the proposed changes – will they help? What else could SEPTA do to accommodate riders and improve transit in the city? Join the discussion and let us know what you think!
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