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SEPTA has launched a publicity blitz as it prepares to finally roll out its long-delayed New Bus Network redesign.
Under the plan — formerly called the Bus Revolution — the transit authority will eliminate more than a dozen bus routes, create some new ones, reroute many others and run more frequent buses in an effort to better meet demand and speed up service.
The first phase of the initiative will launch in August, with subsequent phases to follow in February 2027, June 2027, and sometime around August 2027.
SEPTA is holding a series of events through August to educate the public about the changes. They include an April 15 public hearing, and town halls and open houses throughout its service area.
Read on for more on the meetings, the plan, and its history.
Events in Philly, West Chester, Norristown
The next set of events are:
• Thursday, April 2, 5-7 p.m. Town Hall at West Chester Borough Hall, 401 E Gay St, West Chester
• Monday, April 6, 5-7 p.m. Open House at Simons Recreation Center, 7200 Woolston Ave, Philadelphia
• Tuesday, April 7, 6-8 p.m. Open House at Vare Recreation Center, 2601 Moore St, Philadelphia
• Thursday, April 9, 2-5 p.m. Open House at Norristown Transit Center, 42 E Lafayette St, Norristown
On Wednesday, April 15, SEPTA will hold two sets of open houses and public hearings on its Annual Service Plan, which includes the first three phases of bus network changes. They’ll be held at its headquarters, 1234 Market St., and the hearings will also be streamed online.
An in-person open house will be held at 11 a.m. following by a public hearing at noon. The second open house will start at 5 p.m., with another public hearing at 6 p.m. For information on how to participate in the hearings virtually, visit SEPTA’s bus initiative page.
More meetings will be held through the spring and summer. SEPTA is also accepting feedback on the New Bus Network phasing and other upcoming changes at planning@septa.org and (215) 580-7800.
A lengthy rollout planned
SEPTA announced in early March that it would begin implementing the bus network redesign, and released a detailed, interactive map of the first three phases.
That led to confusion among some riders who said the plan seemed to have been altered since it was approved by SEPTA’s board in 2024.
“Seemingly, they’ve walked back most of the more substantial changes,” a Reddit commenter wrote, noting the apparent loss of a new 40/42 route from their neighborhood to South Street. “I paid most attention to West Philly because that’s where I live, and I feel cheated.”
In fact, the plan is “roughly 95%” the same, SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said. It’s just that the fourth phase won’t happen until August 2027 — which actually falls in the 2028 fiscal year — and the agency hasn’t released the schedule for those changes yet.
“If there were significant changes, we would have to go back and reintroduce new tariffs for the routes, and go through hearings and board approvals for those,” he said. “The only thing that goes before the board this year is the implementation schedule.”
“We put as many of the changes as possible into the three phases that we could implement in fiscal year 2027, but we’ll need one more schedule change cycle in the following fiscal year to complete it,” he said.
The board approved the new network in May 2024, after two years of planning and more than 200 public meetings. Implementation was expected to begin in June 2025.
But in November 2024, SEPTA announced it would postpone the launch in light of a funding crunch that eventually led it to raise fares sharply and reduce service, with plans for deeper cuts that would have shut down five Regional Rail lines and permanently eliminated some bus routes.
The long-running budget crisis concluded last September, when Gov. Josh Shapiro allowed SEPTA to use $394 million in capital assistance dollars for operations, putting off the need for a long-term funding solution for another two years. That allowed the transit authority to revive the bus network project.
Highlights of the four phases
Here are highlights of the upcoming changes. For all the details, visit SEPTA’s bus initiative page.
Phase 1
In first phase of the New Bus Network, this August, the most affected areas will be South Philadelphia, Kensington/Juniata, the Cheltenham Avenue Corridor, the Lancaster Avenue Corridor, and Roxborough, according to a summary prepared by SEPTA.
The highlights include the creation of two new bus routes: Route 72 on Cheltenham Avenue connecting Frankford Transit Center and Cedarbrook Plaza; and Route 76, providing service between North Philadelphia and South Philadelphia along Whitaker Avenue, G Street, Frankford Avenue and Delaware Avenue.
Key extensions include Route 45 to the Navy Yard and Route 79 to University City; alignment changes to Routes 25, 57 and 64 and others; and frequency improvements to Routes 6, 46, 47, 49, 57 and 64.
These routes will be eliminated: 35, 47M, 62, 78, 80, 89 and 106.
Phase 2
The next phase, in February 2027, most affects Paoli/West Chester, Northeast Philadelphia, West Philadelphia, the City Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard corridors, West Oak Lane and Fort Washington.
It will implement the first SEPTA Go Zones in Paoli and West Chester. SEPTA Go is a new on-demand dial-a-ride service, based on a rideshare model, for travel between designated pick-up points. It costs $2.90 and, for now, uses the SEPTA On-Demand app. More details here.
In addition, route 142 will connect King of Prussia and Exton; Direct Bus service will be expanded from Frankford Transit Center to Wissahickon Transit Center; and there will be alignment changes to Routes 3, 5, 22, 33, 51 and 94.
SEPTA will eliminate route 1 when the Direct Bus service begins, and end routes 30, 92, 150, 201, 204 and 206.
Phase 3
The third phase, in June 2027, most affects Norristown, King of Prussia and Plymouth Meeting in Montgomery County, and Phoenixville and Spring City in Chester County.
Highlights include the implementation of the SEPTA Go on-demand service in Norristown and alignment changes to Routes 95, 97, 98, 99 and 131. Routes 90 and 139 will be eliminated.
Phase 4
SEPTA has proposed but not officially released a final phase to take place in August 2027. Among the changes are an overhaul of Northeast bus service, introduction of SEPTA Go in Bucks County, realigning some Center City buses and changes in Delaware County.
The proposal calls for new routes 83, 85, 86, and 87, changes to routes 20, 24, 67, 84, and 88, and elimination of route 50. Bristol will get SEPTA Go to replace route 133, route 130 will be realigned, and many routes will be realigned or get frequency changes.
