SEPTA City Transit Division surface routes explained

SEPTA City Transit Division
Company Slogan:	Serious About Change
Parent:	SEPTA
Founded:	1968
Headquarters:	1234 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Locale:	Philadelphia
Service Area:	Philadelphia and immediate vicinity
Service Type:	Local bus service
Routes:	79
Fleet:	977
Operator:	SEPTA
Ceo:	Leslie Richards (General Manager)^[1]

The City Transit Division of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) operate almost all of Philadelphia's public transit, including all six trolley, three trackless trolley, and 70 bus lines within city limits. Some of the bordering municipalities are served by the City Transit division, despite not being part of the city. For example, Cheltenham Township has 13 city division routes and no Suburban Division ones. The City Transit division also operates the 400 Series routes which are designed to serve students attending schools in the city of Philadelphia.

The City Transit Division is broken down into seven districts (Allegheny, Callowhill, Comly, Elmwood, Frankford, Midvale, and Southern) and Contract Operations.

History

Transit in Philadelphia began with multiple independent horse car, cable, and traction companies, including the privately established entities: Philadelphia Passenger Railway Company, the Thirteenth & Fifteenth Street Passenger Railway Company, West Philadelphia Passenger Railway Company, etc.^{[2] [3] [4]} In 1895 these companies began amalgamating into three large operations: the Electric Traction Company, the People's Traction Company, and the Philadelphia Transportation Company (PTC). The following year they consolidated as the Union Traction Company (UTC). In 1902 UTC went bankrupt; it was reorganized as the Philadelphia Rapid Transit Company (PRT) on July 1.

Despite efforts by Thomas E. Mitten, PRT itself went bankrupt in 1939. A new Philadelphia Transportation Company was formed in 1940 to assume PRT's business. National City Lines (NCL) took over management of the PTC on March 1, 1955, and began a program of converting streetcar lines to bus routes. SEPTA was created in 1962, and purchased PTC's transit operations on September 30, 1968. The former Philadelphia Suburban Transit Company's Red Arrow Lines followed on January 29, 1970, after which SEPTA designated the city services as its "City Transit Division".

Many of today's bus and trackless trolley routes were once streetcar lines. Many of the numbered routes were once lettered or named bus routes.

The first bus route was Route A, established in 1923 between Center City Philadelphia and Frankford Terminal via Strawberry Mansion, Hunting Park Avenue, and Roosevelt Boulevard. Route R replaced Route A along Hunting Park and Roosevelt. Route A then served Roxborough and Andorra within Philadelphia and Barren Hill in Montgomery County. Route A was eliminated and replaced by bus Routes 9, 27, and 32 on February 4, 1984.

List of routes

Numbered routes

Current routes

Route	Terminals		Major streets traveled	District	Service notes	width=40%	History
^[5]	Parx Casino	54th Street and City Avenue	City Avenue, Ridge Avenue, Hunting Park Avenue, Roosevelt Boulevard	Comly & Frankford	Limited-stop No Sunday service	Originally known as the "Boulevard Limited", service began November 18, 1957, operating from Pennypack Circle to Hunting Park and Wissahickon Avenues Extended north to Tremont Street on June 22, 1959. Extended to 54th Street and City Avenue on September 3, 1963 Service redesignated as Route 1 on September 12, 1988, with service extended to Red Lion and Academy Roads in Northeast Philadelphia and to 69th Street Terminal Service to 69th Street Terminal was eliminated September 9, 1996 Byberry Industrial Park service began September 13, 1999 Parx Casino service began February 12, 2007
	Decatur Road and Drummond Drive				Limited-stop Select weekday trips only
	Byberry East Industrial Park	Wissahickon Transportation Center			Limited-stop Select rush hour trips only
^[6]	20th and Johnston Streets	Pulaski and Hunting Park Avenues	16th Street (northbound) / 17th Street (southbound)	Midvale & Southern		First trolley line in Philadelphia to receive a route number on October 11, 1911, when Brill Nearside cars were placed in service Buses replaced streetcars on November 4, 1956 Southbound service moved from 15th Street to 17th Street on December 19, 1957, replacing Route 21 bus (former streetcar route) north of Market Street and Route 32 streetcar south of Market Street Northbound service continues on 16th Street today
		Wayne Junction station				Limited weekday service began February 27, 2017^[7]
^[8]	33rd Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue	Frankford Transportation Center	Cecil B. Moore Avenue, Kensington Avenue, and Frankford Avenue	Frankford		Buses replaced streetcars on February 4, 1956^[9] ^[10]
	Smith Memorial Playground					Weekend only service started in 2013
^[11]	Fern Rock Transportation Center	Broad Street and Pattison Avenue (NRG station)	Broad Street	Midvale & Southern		Service began February 19, 2012 Service was formerly the Fern Rock division of the Route C^[12] ^[13] Original Route 4 went from South Philadelphia to North Philadelphia via 6th and 7th Streets, Master Street, and 2nd and Front Streets until 1930, when it was replaced by Routes 57 and 65 Another Route 4 was created between 1958 and 1960; it went from Snyder Terminal to the Food Distribution Center via Broad, Oregon, 7th, Pattison, and Galloway. It looped via Oregon, Broad, Snyder, and 12th. By 1964, it looped around the food distribution center, and extended via Pattison, 11, Terminal, and Broad to the Philadelphia Naval Base. This became part of Route 17 on April 8, 1973.
^[14]	Front Street and Market Streets	Frankford Transportation Center	3rd Street (northbound) / 2nd Street (southbound), Frankford Avenue	Frankford		Route 5 streetcar ran from Frankford Avenue and Bridge Street to 3rd Street and Oregon Avenue Buses replaced streetcars on December 24, 1955, as the second trolley route operated full-time by PCC's to be converted to bus operations in Philadelphia Service south of Old City (2nd and Spruce Streets) merged into Route 57 on May 16, 1993 Northbound service via 3rd Street replaced by Route 57 Service cut back to Front & Market Streets on December 6, 1998
6^[15]	Cheltenham and Ogontz Avenues Loop	Olney Transportation Center	Ogontz Avenue	Allegheny	24-hour service	Once a popular trolley line to Willow Grove Amusement Park (now the Willow Grove Park Mall) By 1932, it extended south replacing all of Route 49 Buses replaced trolleys north of Cheltenham Avenue to Willow Grove on June 8, 1958. Bus service known as "6 Bus" (see: Route 22 History) Remaining trolley service operated south of Cheltenham & Ogontz Avenues Loop (Cheltenham Square Mall) Buses replaced the streetcars on the remaining portion of the Route 6 on January 11, 1986 Route "6 Bus" renamed Route 22 on the same date to eliminate confusion over the current Route 6
^[16]	Pier 70	33rd and Dauphin Streets	Oregon Avenue, 22nd Street (northbound) / 23rd Street (southbound), 29th Street	Southern		Route 7 streetcar ran from 33rd & Dauphin Streets (Strawberry Mansion) to 20th & Johnson Streets. (South Philadelphia). Buses replaced streetcars on May 29, 1955. Weekday service extended via Oregon Avenue to 2nd Street with peak hour service to Delaware Avenue and Columbus Boulevard on May 2, 1964, replacing Route 80 bus (former Route 80 trackless trolley). Full service on weekdays and weekends extended to Oregon and Delaware Avenues on June 19, 1983 Service extended to Pier 70 Shopping Center on December 6, 1998
	Whitman Plaza					Limited service
	21st and Oregon
^[17]	Olney Transportation Center	Frankford Transportation Center	Tabor Road, Roosevelt Boulevard, Pratt Street	Frankford	Limited stop service; weekdays only	Formerly known as the "Frankford-Olney Express" ("FOX") Service began June 19, 1973, was redesignated Route 8 on September 4, 1984 Midday service has been eliminated and restored several times, most recently restored September 2, 2008. For PTC Route 8 streetcar service, see Routes 39 and 57

Notes and References

1. Web site: SEPTA – About the General Manager.
2. Web site: Beisert. Oscar. September 27, 2018. Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Nomination: Philadelphia City Passenger Railway Co. Car House & Stable, 4100 Chestnut Street, West Philadelphia.. November 27, 2020. Keeping Society of Philadelphia.
3. Web site: Beisert. Oscar. September 22, 2019. Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Nomination: Thirteenth & Fifteenth Street Passenger Railway Company's Depot, Car House & Stable, 2501-61 N. 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA.. November 27, 2020. Philadelphia Historical Commission.
4. Web site: Beisert. Oscar. August 22, 2018. Philadelphia Register of Historic Places Nomination: West Philadelphia Passenger Railway Co. Depot, 4100 Haverford Avenue, West Philadelphia.. November 27, 2020. Keeping Society of Philadelphia.
5. Web site: Route 1 . . September 2, 2019 . September 4, 2019.
6. Web site: Route 2 . . September 2, 2019 . September 5, 2019.
7. News: SEPTA Board approves changes to Routes 2, 310. PlanPhilly SEPTA Board approves changes to Routes 2, 310. 2017-07-15. en.
8. Web site: Route 3 . . September 2, 2019 . September 5, 2019.
9. Web site: Route of the Week – 3. iseptaphilly.com. 2017-07-15.
10. Web site: PHILADELPHIA TRANSIT ROUTES. www.chicagorailfan.com. 2017-07-15.
11. Web site: Route 4 . . September 2, 2019 . September 5, 2019.
12. News: SEPTA splits up the Route C. PlanPhilly SEPTA splits up the Route C. 2017-07-15. en.
13. Web site: SEPTA Oh Say Can You C (4 & 16)?. www.septa.org. 2017-07-15.
14. Web site: Route 5 . . September 2, 2019 . September 5, 2019.
15. Web site: Route 6 . . September 2, 2019 . September 5, 2019.
16. Web site: Route 7 . . September 2, 2019 . September 5, 2019.
17. Web site: Route 8 . . September 2, 2019 . September 5, 2019.