‘Bus Revolution’ Revised in Philadelphia

The bus system redesign underway in Philadelphia changed direction after riders and local politicians complained about an initial draft plan.

1 minute read

March 23, 2023, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


White SEPTA bus driving through snow in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Jana Shea / SEPTA bus

The “Bus Revolution” will be revised.

According to an article by Tom McDonald for WHYY, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) released a revised “Bus Revolution” system redesign after riders complained about planned changes to bus routes and schedule. “At the time, the plan called for reducing the agency’s bus service from 125 routes to 99,” explains  McDonald.

The article includes numerous soundbites from Dan Nemiroff, who leads the bus route redesign effort for SEPTA, who explains that the changes create more familiarity with the old plan.

“Plans to change older route numbers to three digits have also been done away with. Nemiroff said adding new numbers to routes that were not substantially altered was confusing for regular riders,” according to McDonald.

Planetizen picked up news in September 2022 about the Bus Revolution as one component of a trio of transit planning efforts in Philadelphia. As for the Bus Revolution, there are number of steps left before riders will see changes to their normal routes. “SEPTA will do another round of listening sessions before formal hearings on the changes. Implementation is still about a year away if the board approves,” reports McDonald.

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