SEPTA's board votes to approve service plan, including first-ever comprehensive bus redesign

SEPTA's board voted to approve its annual service plan Thursday, including the transit authority's first-ever comprehensive bus redesign, which was previously known as "Bus Revolution."

"We are grateful for the support from the SEPTA Board, and to all of our partners in the community for providing thoughtful feedback throughout this process," SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer said in a statement. "The plan prioritizes the customer experience by improving access to a more frequent and reliable bus network and adjusting service based on ridership trends as we continue educational outreach to our customers and employees."

Phase 1 of the "New Bus Network," formerly called the "Bus Revolution," will be implemented later this summer, according to SEPTA. "Bus Revolution" was paused in 2024 amid a funding crisis. 

SEPTA says the changes with the "New Bus Network" are focused on enhancing reliability and service frequency. When the plan is fully implemented, the number of frequent routes, which are routes that arrive every 15 minutes or better seven days a week, will increase by 30%. 

According to SEPTA, an estimated 30 million people will be within a 10-minute walk of frequent bus service with the service redesign. 

Here are the key service changes to bus routes from SEPTA: 

• New Routes: Launch of Route 72 (Cheltenham Ave) and Route 76 (Crescentville to Center City via Columbus Blvd).
• Frequency improvements on Routes 6, 46, 47, 49, 57 and 64
• Improved alignments for Routes 25, 57, 49, 64 105
• Reduced service on Routes 4, 32, 39, 54 and 73
• Eliminated low-ridership and inefficient patterns on Routes 17, 44, 52
• Eliminated low ridership/duplicative service in Routes 35, 47M, 62, 78, 80, 89, 106 

"The new network will feature more consistent schedules and a streamlined design that will enhance service reliability and help the authority attract new riders," SEPTA said in a news release. "SEPTA will also begin to operate on-demand transit service, like Uber or Lyft, in areas where there is demand for transit but not enough to sustain fixed-route bus operations. Even with all the proposed changes, over 99% percent of customers currently within a quarter mile of bus service will still be within a quarter mile."