The Southeastern
Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
(SEPTA) operates a huge network of
subways, buses and commuter trains,
providing a cost-effective way to travel
around town.
Overview To ride Philly's
public transportation, it is helpful to
understand SEPTA's terminology:
The Market/Frankford or Blue line is a subway system
that runs East-West along Market
Street from 69th Street to about
2nd Street where it turns North
to the Frankford Transportation
Center.
The Broad
Street line basically
runs North-South, although it
does include a side spur that
runs through Chinatown to 8th
Street.
The trolleys (also called Subway/Surface or
Green line) are underground in
center city, but come above
ground in West Philadelphia as
they head to the suburbs.
PHLASH is Philadelphia's downtown
visitors' shuttle, offering
service to many of Philadelphia's
attractions, including the museums on Benjamin Franklin
Parkway, City Hall, the Convention Center and Penn's Landing. Look
for the purple bus 7 days a week,
with service every ten minutes.
The Airport
Line offers one of the
best public transportation links
in the country, providing fast
(about 20 minutes), economical
service to each of Philadelphia
International Airport's five
terminals. Trains leave every 30
minutes between 6 AM and midnight
and stop at four locations in
Philadelphia.
Lucy (nickname for "Loop through
University City") a new
shuttle bus the circles from 30th
and Market to 38th to Woodland
and University Ave and back.
Leaves every 5 minutes between
6:30 and 9 AM and between 3 and 8
PM; leaves every 10 minutes at
other times. Costs 50 cents (free
for students and employees of
Penn, Drexel, Children's
Hospital, VA Center).
For a complete
map of the system, plus schedule and fare
information, see the SEPTA web site.
Tips
Be vigilant about
carrying exact change or buying
tokens. At some subway stations,
you'll have to stand in two lines
if you don't have the exact fare:
the first to get change, the
second to pay the fare and go
through the gate.
Don't expect much
"brotherly love" from
SEPTA workers. They appear to
have little patience if you need
directions or any other kind of
assistance. And their word is
final: when they decide it is
quitting time, no amount of
cajoling or pointing out that
they are shutting down early will
change their mind. We've seen the
exact change window at Suburban
Station (which is supposed to be
open until 6 PM) close as early
as 5:45 leaving riders with no
choice but to dash two blocks
south to see if the Market East
Station is better at adhering to
proper hours or to go elsewhere
to get change. And the SEPTA
phone lines are legendary for
busy signals and long "on
hold" times.
Look for the PHLASH
logo in the windows of stores and
restaurants, indicating that the
establishment offers some sort of
discount to holders of the PHLASH
pass.
