PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia City Council plans to hold hearings on SEPTA’s proposal to redesign its network of bus routes.
Councilmember Curtis Jones said Thursday that SEPTA needs more public feedback about the plan, which would alter the path of most of its routes late next year. It would ultimately reduce the total number of routes from 125 to 99, but increase the frequency of others.
“We should be considering merging of stops, maybe,” Jones said. “More efficient buses, definitely. But we should not do any of that without listening to the community.”
SEPTA says the current structure is unsustainable, with bus ridership at 68% of pre-COVID levels, and is not expected to fully rebound.
Jones said if SEPTA wanted to increase ridership, it should improve cleanliness and safety, not cut services.
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Councilmember Cindy Bass feels SEPTA has some misplaced priorities, referencing the proposal of a rail line to King of Prussia.
“Cutting back in underserved neighborhoods is absolutely unacceptable while expanding at the same time to more affluent communities.”
A statement issued by SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said the transit agency has about two years – until federal COVID relief funds run out – to shape its operations and organization to reflect post-pandemic realities.
“SEPTA has to take steps now to ensure that it can continue to provide critical public transportation services, and do so in a way that is sustainable financially.”
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“At the same time, we want to be clear that changes will need to be made so that SEPTA can continue to serve the city and region for the short and long term.”
SEPTA has already received community feedback, resulting in changes to the plan.
An updated draft is expected to be released in early 2023.