SEPTA plans public town halls to discuss retooled ‘bus revolution'
Two years ago, SEPTA put its plans for a ‘bus revolution’ on hold due to ongoing budget issues.
But, last week, SEPTA officials revealed a new timeline to implement the plan, which the mass transit provider is now calling the “New Bus Network initiative.”
And now, SEPTA has unveiled a list of upcoming town halls to discuss the plan, with the first set to be held on Wednesday night.
SEPTA to hold bus network town halls
Starting Wednesday, March 18, 2026, SEPTA will be hosting a series of town halls to discuss the “New Bus Network Initiative,” that is set to launch later this year.
The dates and locations will be:
- March 18 – New Bus Network Virtual Town Hall – 6:30 to 8 p.m. – register at septa.org/bus
- March 21 – Open House: Frankford Library – 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- March 24 – Open House: Paoli Library – 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.
- March 25 – Town Hall: Neighborhood Action Center #4 – 6:30 to 8 p.m.
- April 2 – Town Hall: West Chester Boro Hall – 5 to 7 p.m.
- April 6 – Open House: Simons Recreation Center – 5 to 7 p.m.
- April 9 – Open House: Norristown Transit Center – 2 to 5 p.m.
- April 15 – SEPTA Annual Service Plan Open House and Public Hearing – noon and 6 p.m. SEPTA Headquarters, 1234 Market Street – register at septa.org/bus
SEPTA officials said the open house events will be in-person only at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
What is the ‘New Bus Network Initiative’?
In a statement, officials with SEPTA said the new initiative is the “first-ever comprehensive redesign of SEPTA’s bus network in its 63-year history.”
“New Bus Network is a key piece of SEPTA’s commitment to make the transit system more reliable for our existing customers, and more useful to more people so we can attract new customers,” SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said in a statement. “We are committed to conducting an extensive education campaign with our customers and employees in the coming months to ensure these improvements are implemented seamlessly.”
According to SEPTA, this effort was approved by the transit provider’s board in May of 2024 following the largest community engagement effort in SEPTA’s history.
Over three years, officials said, SEPTA conducted 150 in-person events, 40 virtual meetings and 10 public hearings to generate feedback from over 20,000 residents to create this initiative.
The plan will be implemented and, officials said, there were will be additional hearings on the effort on April 15, before there is a new board vote in May.
What changes will the new initiative introduce?
However, officials said, SEPTA has made “some adjustments” to the plan over the past two years, though the intent remains to make the bus network easier to use and more efficient, with reduced wait times for riders and improved overall reliability across the system.
“When fully implemented the number of routes offering frequent service – defined as a trip every 15
minutes or better seven days a week – would increase from eight currently to 29. Additional mid-day, late night and weekend service will be added to 10 routes in Phase 1 as a foundation to this ambitious plan,” SEPTA officials said.
Along with these improvements, officials said some bus routes that are redundant with existing services and have low usage would be eliminated.
SEPTA also plans on adding two new routes in order to meet increased demand for services in certain communities:
- The Route 72, which would operate as an East-West Cross-town on Cheltenham Avenue, connecting Frankford Transit Center to Cedarbrook Plaza.
- The 76, which would provide north-south service from Crescentville down through Fishtown and into Center City via Columbus Boulevard.
If approved by the board, SEPTA’s New Bus Network initiative would be rolled out through a phased approach, officials said.
Phase 1 would launch in August 2026. SEPTA officials said it would be focused on routes covering South Philadelphia, Kensington/Juniata, the Cheltenham and Lancaster Avenue corridors, and Roxborough.
Then, officials said, Phase 2 would follow in February 2027 and Phase 3 in June 2027.
SEPTA officials noted some highlights of the planned phases:
Phase 1 – August 2026
- New Routes 72 and 76, and extensions of Routes 45, 53, 60, 61, 79, 105
- 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
Phase 2 – February 2027
- Extension of limited stop Direct Bus service between Frankford Transit Center and Wissahickon
Transit Center and Route 43 to 69th Street Transit Center - Implementation of two SEPTA Go service in Chester County
- Implementation of new Route 142 in Chester County
- Alignment changes to improve Routes 3, 5, 22, 33, 51, 94
- Elimination of low-ridership/duplicative Routes 1, 30, 92, 150, 201, 204, and 206
Phase 3 – June 2027
- Implementation of new SEPTA Go service in Montgomery County
- Alignment changes to improve Route 95, 97, 98, 99, 131
- Pattern reduction on Route 93
- Elimination of low-ridership/duplicative Routes 90, 139
For more updates, maps, and details on upcoming engagement events, including SEPTA’s Annual
Service Plan open house and hearing, visit septa.org/bus.
