Your SEPTA bus route may soon have a different name
As part of SEPTA’s systemwide project to make signage clearer, six bus routes currently identified by letters will change to numbers.
When SEPTA rolls out new spring schedules this Sunday, some bus riders may notice a change on their routes.
As part of SEPTA’s systemwide project to make signage and naming conventions clearer, six bus routes currently identified by letters will change to numbers. The changes to bus routes go into effect Feb. 23.
The G becomes the 63.
The H becomes the 71.
The J becomes the 41.
The L becomes the 51.
The R becomes the 82.
The XH becomes the 81.
The K bus will remain a lettered service until later this year when it merges with Route 26.
Historically, SEPTA used letters to identify bus routes, but as the system grew, the agency transitioned to numbers to allow for more consistency.
Over the last several years, SEPTA has been rethinking how it conveys information to the public in an effort to make the system easier to navigate.
The transit agency has slowly rolled out new names for various forms of transit, including dubbing the El, subway, trolleys, and Norristown High Speed Line as the “Metro.” Last February, SEPTA debuted its new branding at the newly redesigned Drexel Station in University City, and in April, a new website formally announced the new nomenclature.
The Market-Frankford Line is now the L.
The Broad Street Line is now the B. The Local is the B1, the Express is the B2, and the Spur is the B3.
Subway-Surface Trolleys are now the T. The 10 is the T1, the 34 is the T2, the 13 is the T3, the 11 is the T4, and the 36 is the T5.
The Route 15 Trolley is now the G.
The Media-Sharon Hill Line is now the D. The 101 is the D1, and the 102 is the D2.
The Norristown High Speed Line is now the M.
Once the bus names change on Sunday, “if you see a number, it’s a bus; if you see a letter, it’s a train or trolley,” said Elvira Méndez, SEPTA’s senior press officer.
In addition to name changes, SEPTA’s bus system was slated to receive a major overhaul, known as Bus Revolution, later this year. The long-planned revamp, the first in SEPTA’s history, was expected to make trips more frequent and reliable in an effort to reverse a persistent dip in bus ridership. However, due to SEPTA’s significant financial shortfalls, Bus Revolution was suspended indefinitely in November. SEPTA currently has 125 bus routes with 354,820 daily rides, as of January.
The transit agency, the sixth largest in the nation, faces a structural operating deficit of $213 million. Earlier this month, Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed to increase by 1.75% the share of sales-tax revenue allocated to public transit, which SEPTA estimates would bring in $165 million in new state money for operating expenses. However, Shapiro’s proposal must be approved by the Republican-controlled state Senate, which may prove difficult.
If Harrisburg does not come up with new funding, SEPTA officials have said, riders may face systemwide service cuts of up to 20% and fare increases up to 21%.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misidentified the renamed 51 bus line. The L will become the 51.