Digital Reporter – Jeff Bohen
New summer transit schedules for buses, subways and trolleys will take effect beginning today and Monday , South Eastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority announced on Thursday.
Additionally, new graphics, maps and symbols aimed at promoting frequent transit service, the transportation agency said.
“This expands on the new concept transit maps that debuted in February, with new colorful schedules for frequent transit routes, new transit maps installed throughout the system, and graphics aimed at clearly communicating service frequency to riders,” a SEPTA spokesperson said in a release.
Schedule changes also include minor adjustments to city and suburban transit routes to reflect seasonal changes in travel, the release says.
One notable change: SEPTA will reduce A/B trips, and increase all-stop service, on the Market-Frankford Line for the PM rush. Starting Monday, A/B skip-stop service will end as of 5p (instead of 5:30p currently). After 5p, all trains will stop at all stations. A/B service will continue from 7a-8a during the morning rush, and 4p-5p in the evening.
To coincide with this seasonal schedule change, we made enhancements to the maps and the overall frequency project in response to customer feedback. This includes adding more labels, increasing line thickness differentiation, and re-designing the Center City inset map to improve legibility.
Also, new “headway grids” now quickly show customers how often to expect a bus during different parts of the day – whether 15 minutes, 10 minutes, or even more frequent.
New summer transit schedules are now available online and at locations throughout the SEPTA system.
Customers with questions about the schedule changes should call SEPTA Customer Service at (215) 580-7800.