How has SEPTA addressed the recent violence on their buses and trains, and how do students feel catching SEPTA?
How has SEPTA addressed the recent violence on their buses and trains, and how do students feel catching SEPTA?
The inside of a SEPTA Route 3 bus
As violence on SEPTA lines has risen in 2024 and 2025, many Philadelphia students who rely on public transportation share their thoughts on using it to get to and from school, and SEPTA also shares how they’ve worked to improve SEPTA lines.
For students like Rishayla, there isn’t a safe moment on SEPTA.
”Most of the time, I feel unsafe on SEPTA because the people are just weirdos sometimes, and the buses aren't really clean.”
Whereas other students like Chris feel generally safe on SEPTA.
"Yeah, for the most part, overall, I feel pretty safe on SEPTA.
A report from SEPTA shows that it has become laser-focused on improving safety and security. According to new quarterly data released on April 24th, there were reductions in shootings and aggravated assaults compared to the same period last year. Despite SEPTA making improvements, students still feel unsafe.
“There’s no security on the bus, and as violence in Philadelphia has increased, and gangs have grown, there is no limit to where violence can happen."
Additionally, SEPTA continues to hire a record number of police officers, with 248 uniformed officers on staff, representing a 27% increase since the end of 2022 and the largest SEPTA police force in over a decade. Student Rishayla feels the police officers do nothing and only curb fare evaders.
“The SEPTA police officers, like they don’t do anything to protect us. All they do is monitor, if somebody’s skipping the fare to catch the train, they don’t really care about the riders.”
While Rishayla feels the SEPTA officers do nothing, other students, like Rasheed, express different views on SEPTA police officers and paying fares.
“Nobody pays to get on SEPTA really, like they just walk on, and it’s not like there’s any security on the bus to help stop any violence or disruptions, it’s just the riders and the bus driver.”
Violence on SEPTA has caused students to steer away from certain routes, which could cut into time they’d be spending on homework or time they’d be spending eating breakfast at school.
A SEPTA Route 17 bus.
“Recently, there was a teenager who was shot on the 15 bus, and I usually catch that bus to get to my house, but I don’t really get on it anymore. I take the train now because of that.”
For other students, their parents didn’t allow them to ride SEPTA due to the all the violence happening on buses and trains, but their parents’ opinion has changed since then.
“When I was younger, my parents were more hesitant to even let me on a SEPTA bus, especially the trains, because they worried for my safety, until they started letting me take it because I was getting older.”
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