SEPTA Forward: Bus Revolution

Bus Revolution is SEPTA’s first comprehensive redesign of its entire bus network. A key initiative of SEPTA Forward, the authority’s strategic plan, Bus Revolution delivers a more reliable and easier-to-use bus network that will be more useful for more people.

While Philadelphia and its surrounding communities have changed over the last few decades, SEPTA’s bus system has remained largely the same.

SEPTA's ridership has been declining and the pandemic added to this issue by changing how people work and travel. It is clear that the system is still recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The City of Philadelphia and parts of the surrounding communities are some of the strongest transit markets in the United States.  Transit is serving peak oriented trips in Center City well, but missing trips between neighborhoods.  Improving service at non-peak travel times and on weekends would have the greatest impact on lower- income workers, who often traveling outside of the peak. 

SEPTA’s bus network is extensive and well connected. Nearly 40% of weekday passengers transfer between services.  

Traffic congestion makes SEPTA’s bus routes less reliable. Bus routes that are more direct are faster and more likely to stay on time. Infrastructure like bus lanes and fewer bus stops also helps make bus service faster and more reliable.

SEPTA’s bus routes are complex because most bus routes have multiple service patterns, buses are spread across too many streets, and many bus routes provide the same connections. In suburban communities, SEPTA bus service is infrequent, with many long and indirect routes. The combination of these factors means bus service is hard for riders to understand and hard for SEPTA to operate.

Bus Revolution is working to match SEPTA’s bus services with these trends to make the bus network easier to use and more reliable.

Feedback from bus riders and community members are a critical part of Bus Revolution. We understand that it has taken time and effort to learn about the project, attend meetings, and give us your thoughts, so we appreciate your feedback.

SEPTA's Bus Revolution team is listening to your feedback and we have been adjusting our recommendations based on your input throughout each stage of the project.

Since the project started, SEPTA has held several rounds of engagement. Each round shaped and influenced the proposed bus network. In total we held:

• 14 Transit Talks
• 23 Community Meetings
• 23 Virtual Community Conversations
• 34 Small group meetings, presentations, and briefings
• 87 Pop Ups and Project Bus Events at bus stops, transit centers, and community events

• Make bus routes faster and more reliable, even if it means walking a little further to a bus stop.
• Ensure that bus service is convenient for students, seniors, and people with disabilities.
• Prioritize more frequent service, especially in the middle of the day and on weekends.
• Allow for more direct travel – a “one-seat ride” – is better, especially when trips are short.
• Understand that transferring can add risks for riders.
• Add bus stops with lighting and places to sit as this helps riders.
• Recognize that people are concerned about their personal safety and security.
• Design simpler bus routes- that are easier to use, understand, and operate.

The Bus Revolution has been developed through a process that combines research and analysis with community input.

The Bus Revolution team prepared a Market Analysis and State of the System that described where transit service is needed. This analysis looked at:

• Where people live
• Where there are jobs
• Where there are services like shopping, medical facilities, and schools
• How people travel in the region
• SEPTA’s existing bus routes
• The number of bus riders using each bus stop
• The times of days riders use the service
• How SEPTA’s bus routes work together as a network
• And how bus routes connect to other SEPTA services like the Broad Street Line, Market Frankford Line, Trolley lines, and Regional Rail.

We shared our ideas with SEPTA bus riders and community members and used your feedback to guide decisions. We reviewed your feedback alongside what the data showed and the financial constraints to get to the final recommendations. SEPTA's Bus Revolution team updated the bus network based on this process.

The proposed network balances public input with the goals of the project and will result in a more useful and reliable bus network. The updated network has a total of 106 bus routes, 43 frequent routes compared to 33 in the existing network. It also includes 8 new On-Demand (Microtransit) Zones.

For more information about the proposed network visit  https://www.septabusrevolution.com/ 

One way we look at the impacts of the changes to the bus the network is by making comparisons to how many people have access to a frequent bus route, or routes where buses come at least every 15 minutes. When we compare to the existing SEPTA bus network, we found that on most days and at most times of day more people will have access to frequent transit. Within a 5-minute walk time to a stop or 1/4-mile distance:

• 12% more people will have access on Weekdays at 12pm or noon
• 5% more people will have access on Weekdays at 5pm
• 35% more people will have access on Saturdays at 12pm or noon

Similarly, when we look at the changes within a 10-minute walk time to a stop or 1/2-mile distance:

• 64% more people will have access on Weekdays at 12pm or noon
• 47% more people will have access on Weekdays at 5pm
• 104% more people will have access on Saturdays at 12pm or noon

It's also important to consider impacts and access to all routes in the system regardless of the frequency. When we compare access to all bus routes to the existing SEPTA bus network, generally access will remain similar to today, with some changes to the coverage. Within a 5-minute walk 99% of current riders will continue to have access on Weekdays at noon or 5pm and Saturdays at noon. Within a 10-minute walk 97% of current riders will continue to have access on Weekdays at noon or 5pm and Saturdays at noon.