PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — SEPTA has launched a new tool that lets riders know if there’s an available seat on the bus.
The Estimated Seat Availability Dashboard, which debuted Tuesday, keeps track of the number of passengers aboard during different times of the day.
“We collect ridership data from our automatic passenger counters, which are on board — not all, but quite a few — of our buses and other surface vehicles,” explained Grant Engel, SEPTA manager of data policy. “That gives us a historical record of what has happened in the last couple of weeks.”
Engel said the counters have been tested over the last few months and are 85% accurate. Based on the route, direction and day of the week, the dashboard shows riders what they can expect for seat availability at each stop.
“It will tell you whether there will be many seats available, few seats available, or standing room only,” he said.
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The dashboard is an estimate, not a real-time report. It is based on data on those routes from the previous two weeks.
The dashboard, accessible on mobile devices and computers, is currently available for most bus routes. The plan is to expand to all SEPTA service in the coming months, including subways, trolleys, the Regional Rail and the Norristown High-Speed Line.
SEPTA is still following COVID-19 capacity limits, but those are expected to rise very soon.
“For the first time ever as a commuter, as a customer, the dashboard gives you a virtual look into your bus or vehicle before you ever step foot on it so that you can make the best decision around planning your trip on SEPTA,” Engel added.
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