Septa's Septic Service

Over the past week or so, I have noticed a real deterioration of service on the part of SEPTA. It started last Sunday when I was trying to get home from Center City. The 5 bush which I usually take had been detoured because of the Philadelphia Gay Parade. I went to the designated pick up point, only to wait there for an hour in the sweltering heat along with an elderly man.

When the bus finally picked us up, the driver told us she had been unable to reach the pick up spot. Listening to her speak with her dispatcher over the radio, I came to the conclusion that lines of communication between the drivers and SEPTA were not especially good, as the driver was not certain where detours were.

One might argue that this was simply the result of a special event on a weekend, not reflective of SEPTA’s overall service. However, this past Thursday, I went out to get the 5 bus up to Frankford Terminal, only to find that it was a half hour late. This was in the middle of rush hour on Frankford Ave.

When I finally arrived at Frankford Terminal, I found that the 26 bus was running ten minutes late. This was actually lucky from my perspective, as I was actually able to catch it, but the ten or so other people waiting for it seemed to mind.

Finally, we must discuss the fortunately short-lived SEPTA police strike. Here, both sides seem to be at fault. On one hand, SEPTA refused to accept binding arbitration, perhaps fearing the union would be able to get a fairer, and more expensive, shake. At the same time, union officials seemed all too eager to prey on the public’s fears in the wake of recent violence on SEPTA, warning people to seek “alternative transportation.” Do we have to trust our safety to such uncaring people?

Pundit for Public Transport

Robert Reich has produced a very interesting commentary on his blog about the need for greater investment in public transportation. In the light of rising fuel costs, riding buses, trains, and subways is making increasing sense to a large number of people. However, Reich warns that we may need to increase public funding to meet this demand.

Maybe, maybe not. Certain things I’ve observed in Philadelphia indicate that public transport may not have the funding issues Reich warns of. Recently while riding on the 5 bus along Frankford Ave. on a weekday afternoon, I found the bus to be filled almost to capacity, a highly unusual circumstance. News reports have also indicated an increase in SEPTA ridership, so much so that SEPTA is considering expanding service, with or without an increase in state funding.

That said, I am in no way opposed to government funding for public transport. When I was in Great Britain, I found the London Underground to be an excellent means of transport. It was very efficient, and offered access to most areas of the city I wanted to visit. I think London offers a model most American cities, including Philadelphia, could learn from.