(The following story by Brian Scheid appeared on the Bucks County Courier Times website on August 14.)
PHILADELPHIA — The highest gas prices in American history have spurred the largest expansion of public transportation service in SEPTA history.
At a press conference in Philadelphia Thursday, SEPTA executives outlined a $10 million plan that will add more buses, increase frequency on some bus and regional rail lines and add late night train service that will lead to trains running from Philadelphia to Lower Bucks as late (or early) as 2:47 a.m.
After years of strikes, contentious fare hikes and service cuts, the mood at SEPTA’s Center City headquarters was oddly pleasant Thursday.
“We’ve been waiting a long time to announce good news like this,” said Charles Webb, the transit agency’s chief service planning officer.
Under the plan, new late night trains will be added on three different suburban rail lines, including the R7 Trenton line. Starting Sept. 12, R7 trains will leave Center City after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bigger buses will be added to some of SEPTA’s busiest routes. In Bucks, the buses, which can seat 26 more passengers than the current buses, will be added to the Route 14 line, which travels from the Frankford Transportation Center to the Neshaminy and Oxford Valley malls.
Buses on the Route 28 line will run with more frequency on Saturdays and Sundays, and Sunday service will start on the Route 129 bus, SEPTA officials announced.
The agency has bought 100 new hybrid buses, which will be added to the fleet, and SEPTA officials plan to keep 40 vehicles, which were previously going to be replaced, in service to accommodate increased ridership. SEPTA also paid about $600,000 to purchase eight used rail vehicles from NJ Transit to add to its fleet of commuter rail trains.
In terms of employment, SEPTA plans to add 185 additional positions, including 100 more rail and bus operators.
During the 2008 fiscal year, SEPTA ridership grew by about 38,000 daily trips throughout the system, a nearly 6 percent jump in a year, according to Joseph Casey, SEPTA’s general manager. Ridership on regional rail has jumped roughly 13 percent in a year, Casey said.
SEPTA plans to launch a $1 million campaign to advertise the service expansion, according to Rich DiLullo, SEPTA’s director of marketing. The theme of the campaign will be “More buses, more often,” DiLullo said.
SEPTA officials also will continue to monitor travel patterns and commuter feedback about additional expanded service, according to Kim Heinle, SEPTA’s assistant general manager for customer service.
“We’re in a position to do some things we’ve wanted to do for a long time,” Webb said.