Excuse me

Nymir Williams-Watkins

01/23/24

Typical SDP student fare card

Whether it is a trolley, train, or bus, Carver students rely heavily on SEPTA transportation to arrive at school on time, but to no fault of the students, many are often late due to the SEPTA transportation system and may receive a demerit based on their lateness.

Philadelphia Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is a comprehensive public transit system that serves the Philadelphia metropolitan area. It provides bus, subway, trolley, and regional rail services. Many students who live all over the city and attend George Washington Carver, High School of Engineering and Science rely on SEPTA to get them to school safely and on time.

"I commute via SEPTA,” said Spencer Lavelle, a 12th-grade student at George Washington Carver, High School of Engineering and Science.

George Washington Carver, High School of Engineering and Science is a moderately small institution representing approximately 45 zip codes in the school district of Philadelphia.

Full SEPTA system

As students commute via Septa throughout the city, most students arrive late as they travel greater distances than students who live relatively closer to the high school.

"It takes me about an hour and some change coming from Northeast Philadelphia to get to school. I sometimes catch the 1 bus to the BSL (Broad Street line) and walk the remainder, or take the 20 or 14 to the Market Frankford Transportation Center, catch the L train, then catch the 3 and walk again to school," said Alazha Weems, a 12th-grade student at George Washington Carver, High School of Engineering and Science.

SEPTA bus route #20

Frankford Transportion center "FTC"

SEPTA bus route #1

Market Frankford line train "the L train"

SEPTA trolley route #10

SEPTA trolley sign

Broad Street Line train "BSL"

15th Street Station (MFL) / BSL exchange

"I live in Southwest, so it takes me about an hour and a half to get to school. I first catch the 36 trolley and then catch the 2, or broad street line," said Nevaeh Brantley, a 12th-grade student at George Washington Carver High School of Engineering and Science.

Students expressed frustration with SEPTA's inconsistent schedules, citing delayed buses and inaccurate arrival times. They use the transit app to track their bus's location, but sometimes the app needs to provide more accurate information. The student’s frustration highlights the challenges of navigating Philadelphia's public transportation system.

“I use the transit app. It's a popular app for community commuters. It tells where the buses or trains are. That's what I do. But sometimes it'll say, It's like one minute away, and it's really like four or five minutes away,” said Spencer Lavelle.

“I usually use the transit app. And it gives me an estimate of when the buses will be there. But it's very unreliable. Sometimes the buses come before, sometimes the buses come after, or sometimes the bus just doesn't come at all. So it is very finicky and it's like a 50/50 chance of actually being accurate,” said Zahara Simmons, a 12th-grade student at George Washington Carver, High School of Engineering and Science.

“When using the transit app Sometimes it says it's a minute away. But then the buses come in like the next five minutes, or the bus doesn't show up at all. Or, like, say that the bus detours and it doesn't tell me at all, and then the bus detours, and I'm late for school,” said Nevaeh Brantley.

The transit app in reference is a mobile app that claims to provide real-time public transit data. The app is partnered with various global transportation brands that provide public and private services.

*Screenshot* of transit app display

The SEPTA agency has been trying to update and fix real-time tracking countdown clocks and detouring issues post-pandemic. But it’s unclear when the new countdown clocks are coming, and they’re not planned for bus stops. It’s also not clear when the app will roll out real-time arrivals.

As George Washington Carver, High School of Engineering and Science is a stem-accumulated institution, many of its students are a majority of honor roll students. A demerit prohibits students from having honors.

Demerit mark on students report card

"Yes I am an honor roll student, but yes, I have received a demerit for latenesses," said David Orozco, a 12th-grade student at George Washington Carver, High School of Engineering and Science.

"I am an honor roll student. In fact, I would have been on the honor roll last quarter but those latenesses gave me a demerit, but my grades reflect that I am on honor roll," said Zahara Simmons.

"I actually received a lot of demerits for being late to school and that's what messed up my honor roll last quarter," said Alazha Weems

It is also stated that Ms. Pat sometimes relieves students of certain lateness to school due to septa.

"For the most part, Ms. Pat excuses those latenesses but it's hard to account for all the lateness that SEPTA causes," said Zahara Simmons.

During the pandemic, SEPTA lost millions a day due to the decrease in riders. SEPTA is still losing riders, as students have sought out other methods of transportation in an attempt to not be late to school.

"Yeah, I used to live closer to the school but would still be late because the bus would be. Now that I move to South Philly, I just get a ride to school. I'm not tryna take any risks and receive any more demerits for lateness (lol)," said Nasiyaah Wilson-Bell, a 12th-grade student at George Washington Carver, High School of Engineering and Science.

SEPTA bus

George Washington Carver, High School of Engineering and Science should be more lenient on latenesses that lead to demerits because Septa causes issues in transportation that can be out of students' control. Students who prove to be academically profound should be celebrated for their honor roll despite attendance issues caused by transportation.

"To guarantee that I get to school on time or close to would require me to wake up earlier while it’s still dark out and get on SEPTA transportation. I am not comfortable with that. it's not safe. Waking up earlier also jeopardizes my learning as I would possibly be too tired to comprehend unless I sleep earlier which would then compromise home life activities such as eating, homework, or spending time with my family," said Alazha Weems

Cecil B. Moore station (BSL)

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