How Phases 1-3 of SEPTA’s Bus Network Redesign Impacts University City

Phase 1:

Starting in August of 2026, Route 49, which University City District helped create in partnership with SEPTA in 2019, will be split into two routes to better improve reliability and connectivity. Route 49 will begin terminating at 40th Street and Woodland Avenue at the Trolley Portal, while Route 79, which primarily runs along Oregon Avenue in South Philadelphia, will have a new service pattern which extends through Grays Ferry via 30th Street, and across the river to end at 40th and Market Streets. Please note that not all Route 79 trips will extend to West Philadelphia, so pay attention to each bus’s terminal when boarding in South Philadelphia and look for “40th-Market” on the screen above the front window. 

Route 49 will also have its alignment in Center City shifted from 20th Street to 22nd Street, and in Strawberry Mansion from 29th Street to 33rd Street. Routes 49 and 79 will operate at least every 30 minutes on weekdays, with 15-minute peak service on Route 49 and 20-minute peak service on the 79 service to University City.  

Route 64 will also be improved in Phase 1. This bus route will be slightly realigned in South Philadelphia to stay on Grays Ferry Avenue, instead of diverting through Wharton and Reed Streets, which will improve reliability and speed. Additionally, all trips will serve the entire route to Parkside Loop, with no trips terminating at 49th and Woodland. Frequency will also be improved to every 12 minutes between 6 AM to 9 AM, and from every 20 minutes previously to every 15 minutes between 9 AM and 9 PM. This change will result in Route 64 becoming an all-day, frequent route by SEPTA’s definition (minimum frequency of every 15 minutes or less, 6 AM – 9 PM, Monday – Friday) 

While not in University City, the Navy Yard, which UCD invests in through the work of our Skills Initiative, will receive SEPTA bus service seven days per week, where it previously only received service on weekends. Service to the Navy Yard will shift from Route 17 to Route 45. Those commuting to the Navy Yard from West Philadelphia can connect to Route 45 at 12th and Market via the L or T lines at 13th Street, Routes 21 or 42 at 12th and Chestnut, or Route 64 at 12th and Washington.  

Phase 2:

In February 2027, Route 30 will be discontinued, as it provides service duplicative to other SEPTA buses and Metro routes. As part of this change, Route 43 will be altered to operate between Richmond and Westmoreland in Port Richmond, and 69th Street Transit Center in Upper Darby, via Haverford Avenue in West Philadelphia. Route 43 will see increased service as a result of Phase 2’s changes. Riders in Powelton and West Powelton are encouraged to use Route 43 to access 69th Street Transit Center, while Route 31 will provide service to 30th Street Station and Center City. For other riders within University City, alternatives include the LUCY Gold and Green Routes, as well as Routes 21, 40, 42, 49, and 79.  

Phase 3: 

There will be no changes that directly impact University City in this phase, which will primarily impact SEPTA service in Montgomery County and Norristown.   

Once all three phases are fully implemented, University City will see service from 14 bus routes, of which two (Routes 21 and 64) offer frequent service, defined by SEPTA as frequency every 15 minutes or less, Monday – Friday between 6 AM – 9 PM. These routes, in complement with University City’s SEPTA Metro routes, which include 5 T lines and the L, and service from all 13 regional rail routes at 30th Street Station, ensure that the potential of University City, from its 84,000 jobs, 53,000 residents, and 35,000 students, can be fully unlocked.  

University City District works in partnership with SEPTA to promote understanding and use of the bus network among everyone who lives, works, or visits University City. If you would like to ask questions directly to SEPTA about the New Bus Network, please contact planning@septa.org.