SEPTA's bus redesign finally arrives
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
SEPTA's bus overhaul gets going this weekend after years of fits and starts.
Why it matters: The agency is selling the system's first redesign in roughly 60 years as a way to improve service, enhance reliability and attract new riders.
Driving the news: The majority of the changes roll out on Sunday and will shake up more than two dozen routes across the city.
- Then on Monday, SEPTA will eliminate Route 106 and extend Route 105 to Paoli Hospital.
Plus: The first phase of the plan primarily affects South Philly; Kensington; Juniata; the Cheltenham and Lancaster Avenue corridors; and Roxborough.
Flashback: The plan was originally approved back in 2024, but was put on hold amid uncertainty around state funding that same year and threats of deep service cuts.
- SEPTA tweaked the plans in the years since before getting the green light earlier this year.
Key changes include:
✨ 2 new routes:
- Route 72 will run along Cheltenham Avenue connecting Frankfort Transit Center and Cedarbrook Plaza.
- Route 76 creates a connection between North and South Philly.
↔️ 6 extended routes include:
- Route 45 will now provide seven-day service to the Navy Yard, connecting it to Center City for the first time in decades.
- Route 60 will expand service to Wissahickon Transit Center in Northwest Philly.
- Route 79 will extend between South and West Philly.
❌ 7 routes eliminated: 35, 47M, 62, 78, 80, 89 and 106.
🤏 Reduced service will happen along several routes, including 17, 25, 44 and 49.
Between the lines: SEPTA desperately needs to attract new riders to boost revenue, particularly on its buses, which account for more than half of its daily ridership.
- Both ridership and service on its bus system remain below pre-pandemic levels.
The intrigue: SEPTA avoided big fare increases in recent years after the state bailed out the financially struggling agency.
- But that state money runs out next year. Without a long-term funding plan, the threats of deep service cuts and fare increases will return.
What's next: More changes are coming in 2027 when SEPTA implements the next phases of the bus redesign.
Go deeper: Find more details about the bus redesign on SEPTA's website.