SEPTA Invites Riders To Sound Off on Proposed Service Changes
By Michelle Durham
SEPTA held an open forum at its headquarters today in center city Philadelphia, to allow the public to comment on proposed changes to several routes and other upcoming service changes they are considering.
Septa customer Lorraine Brill (below right) decided to attend the meeting for one particular reason:
"Mainly the 88 bus -- which they want to cut the evening service. We had protested that a couple of years ago, and now they want to bring it (the cutback) back again."
Brill believes those service cuts would adversely affect Holy Redeemer Hospital employees and others.
Another debate at today's meeting centered around proposed changes for the Route 57 bus, serving Queen Village and Pennsport.
Douglas Diehl, president of the advocacy group "Tri-State Transit Center," took on SEPTA senior operations planner Alex Flemming.
(Diehl:) "We just fought you guys to break up the C bus, to make it easier for people to understand. We don't want complicated bus routes."
(Flemming): "Doug, let me reiterate this is a concept. This is by no means concrete."
Both sides listened to one another carefully. SEPTA officials believe they can learn more from the public in this one-on-one format than can be accomplished in the more usual presentation setting.
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