August 27, 2015
Dozens of SEPTA buses will operate on adjusted schedules and routes during the papal visit in late September, the transit agency announced Thursday.
Twenty city transit buses and six city trolley routes will operate on weekday service levels when Pope Francis visits Philadelphia on Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27. Another 14 suburban buses, including those accessing Regional Rail stations and the Philadelphia International Airport, also will maintain a weekday schedule.
Traffic restrictions will suspend 28 bus routes and Trolley route 10.
None of the bus routes will transport passengers into the restricted "traffic box" engulfing Center City. Riders will be dropped off several blocks from the perimeter of the area, requiring them to walk at least a mile to reach the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, where Pope Francis will serve a papal mass.
SEPTA officials said they need room to turn their buses around without experiencing high amounts of traffic. That way, officials said, SEPTA can quickly transport as many people into the city as possible.
SEPTA released a map, shown below, showcasing the walking distances from its various drop-off destinations. Most endpoints require about a mile walk to Logan Square. A PDF of the map can also be viewed here.
"We want people to know this is a historic event," General Manager Joseph Casey said. "It's easy to get here. It's not going to be the long walks that previously have been reported."
SEPTA will begin selling special three-day Papal Passes that provide passengers unlimited rides on subways, buses and trolleys from Sept. 26 through Sept. 28. The passes go on sale Tuesday. Tokens and weekly and monthly passes still will be accepted.
SEPTA also has more than 200,000 Regional Rail Papal Passes available, officials said. They have only sold 110,000 passes, 50,000 for Saturday and 60,000 for Sunday. The one-day passes, which cost $10, are required to ride Regional Rail trains during the papal visit.
SEPTA is limiting those passes to 175,000 each day, but clearly has had trouble selling them.
"Sure, we're disappointed," Casey said. "Again, there's plenty of time. We want people to know that there is capacity. Again, it is easy to take our service. This is a special event, a once in a lifetime event. We encourage people to come."
SEPTA also announced that it has secured about 23,000 parking spaces outside the 18 Regional Rail stations serving as endpoints for its papal visit service. Regional Rail trains are shuttling passengers into Center City from select stations in an attempt to move as many people into the city as possible.
Further details on the parking options will be announced next week.
The Airport Line will operate inbound and outbound every 30 minutes during the papal visit. Passengers arriving on flights can purchase one-day Papal Passes at airport terminals. Local residents can park at the airport lot and take the Airport Line into Center City. Passengers with pre-purchased Papal Passes will be given boarding priority between 5:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. on each day.
City transit buses operating on a weekday schedule during the papal visit are routes 3, 5, 6, 16, 20, 21, 22, 23, 27, 31, 33, 42, 47, 50, 52, 55, 58, 66, 70 and R. City trolley routes doing likewise are 11, 13, 14, 15, 34 and 36. Suburban bus routes operating on a weekday schedule are 99, 103, 104, 107, 108, 109, 110, 112, 113, 123, 124, 125, 201 and 206.
For a listing of suspended bus routes, visit SEPTA's website.
