SEPTA fail

SEPTA: Spreading the Love

2010-02-12T17:13:00.006-05:00

Rider Jenna writes in with a very recent story pertinent to a current promotion going on involving several entities in the city...

Last night I was watching the news and briefly caught the story about the forthcoming Septa discounts. I thought I heard that the $1 fare thing would start today (2/12)... so this morning at Lombard/South I asked boothman if my fare would be $1. He kindly responded, "You are the third person to ask me that today, it's $2." I said, "But the news said...." He replied, "I don't care what the news said, I don't work for the news, I work for SEPTA." That’s right, he just called Nutter a damn liar.

I thought: Well kind sir, if you work for SEPTA shouldn't you know about the discount? Shouldn't you know that it starts tomorrow? Shouldn't you have told me that info... politely? Uh, yes, yes, and yes.

From the GPTMC site about the Spread the Love promotion:

Public Transportation
SEPTA is celebrating its "Break Your Winter Blues"” promotion by offering "Red Hot Sweetheart Deals" on its regional rail lines from February 12-21, 2010. SEPTA fares are as follows:

Weekend Round-Trip Fare
Add convenience and bargain pricing to the list of reasons to take SEPTA Regional Rail. Purchase a round-trip ticket in advance or on board the train for one low price. (Also good weekday evenings on inbound trains arriving in Center City after 5 p.m.)
$6.00: Zone 1 or Zone 2 stations

$8.00: Zone 3 stations

$9.00: Zone 4 or Zone 5 stations

$15.00: Zone 6 stations

~ Parking Free at all surface parking lots at SEPTA Regional Rail Stations on Weekends

Also, enjoy a Special Weekend Fare ($1.00 cash each way) on the Market Frankford Line and the Broad Street Line

~ Available February 13-15 and February 20-21

Thanks for the love SEPTA!

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Welcome to Canada?

2010-01-25T16:28:00.007-05:00

Rider Paul sent in a few gems which he already posted about on his blog, but he's allowing me to repost them here. What the photos show are a series of ads on the Route 15 Trolley for all things Canadian. Weird. Above is an ad for what seems to be a job placement agency in Ontario called Job Connect. Anyone planning to move to Toronto and need a job? Call 416.531.4631 x0 (extension 0?!) and get the hook up!

And once you're in Canada, you're gonna need a credit card, right?! Well Capital One's New To Canada program guarantees that you'll get a credit card up north so you can "build good credit behaviour" right away!

And this one's not easy to read, so let me spell it out for ya:

SEE IT YOUR WAY:
Get a new perspective on Toronto.
There's always something to do
and see in our FREE city event guide.
EVENTS TTC MAPS ROUTES & MORE!

Brought to you by Toronto's public transit agency: TTC.

SEPTA's kinda saying: we suck, mover to a cleaner, nicer, whiter version of Philly which also has mass transit! Go Toronto! Note, this is not an ad campaign to visit Toronto which would be a whole different thing. This is a 'move to Canada' campaign. Weird.

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[Not] Arriving Now

2010-01-12T13:27:00.001-05:00

You may have seen a similar announcement as rider Scott saw after the big snowstorm last month, or anytime at all. Trains being delayed. But the announcement was another story...

The announcement that accompanied this marquee?

"The scheduled 2:11 R7 local to Trenton now arriving on track 3."

The train, of course, never came.

Both of the signs seem to be somewhat automated, now? I guess it was an errant button push at some point, but Scott didn't notice a second announcement correcting the first one.

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When It Rains, It Pours... Inside?

2010-01-12T08:19:00.001-05:00

A rant from rider Paul about the lovely indoor weather SEPTA's buses seem to have. This is not the first time someone has written in about this issue. Different route.

I have a rant about when It rains on SEPTA.

On Dec 9, 2009, It was raining violently in the morning. I needed to take the 67 to school but the rain was an extreme problem. When my mom dropped me off at Knights & Fairdale, it felt like a monsoon was coming and the bus didn't come for another 15 minutes. I was entirely soaked from pockets to shoes. My shoes had a hole in them and water seeped through them. The 67 was 5 minutes late. The back of the bus was a total nightmare. The back seats were soddened with water, and water was leaking through the ceiling, even in the front! I sat down in a front seat, and it was wet, even though it looked dry. God knows what has been in that water! Water was also dripping from the ceiling, I first realized that when I was using my PDA, 2-5 drops of water fell on it and it almost froze and broke. I had to walk to school, and got even wetter. When I got home, my shoes dried overnight. I used my dad's old shoes the next day.

Surely there's money somewhere in the budget to not have it rain inside the bus eh?

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Welcome New Readers

2010-01-11T16:25:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Jeff Gammage and the Inky for including me in this story on SEPTA service. Please share any stories you have with the mass transit system we all ride.

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Hitler on SEPTA

2009-12-21T12:26:00.000-05:00

the link

I had heard of this Hitler meme on SEPTA service, but never got around to searching it out. Luckily for me Bethany shot me a link. Here it is. It's not the best Hitler downfall spoof, but it's solid, especially if you're a SEPTA rider.

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Safety at Ardmore Station

2009-12-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

I got an email from rider Doug who snapped the above photo at the Ardmore R5 station at 11.30a Sunday morning. As you can see, the steps are completely covered in snow creating a 20+ step ramp down from the platform. In his own words:

Remember that blizzard we got yesterday? Well, as of 11:30 AM this morning, the steps on the North side of Ardmore station were not shoveled.

It's difficult to see, but the snow is packed in on each of the steps, which turned the entire staircase into a ramp. It was very hazardous to travel up or down the staircase.

The best part? Amtrak personnel were at the station around the time. They made sure to take snowblowers to the raised platforms and clean them off. But they couldn't be bothered to shovel off the steps before departing the station. Was it a simple oversight? Or the result of some dain bramaged policy from SEPTA? No idea.

Somebody let me know if the stairs have been cleared by Monday's rush.

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Puzzle Time

2009-12-11T08:57:00.002-05:00

A rider sent this photo of a closed SEPTA window at 8th and Market last month...

I did a double take when I saw this scene at the Market-Frankford EL stop at 8th and Market this morning. The handwritten sign that is cut off on the right of the photo says "window closed." It appears that closing down that window has given the SEPTA employee plenty of time to work on the giant jigsaw puzzle (pictured)... amazing. "Jigsaw puzzle time" must be one of the new contract stipulations.

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Speaking Up on The 25

2009-12-10T08:54:00.001-05:00

Rider John dropped a note last month about a fellow rider who stood up to an unruly rider when others didn't...

Today I was riding the the #25 bus to Fishtown. For several blocks an obnoxious group of teenagers were being unruly, obviously delighting in their idiocy. Not to be outdone was one young man in his late teens who insisted on shouting "f" you, "f" this, "f' that to the point that several passengers trying to ignore him were finally uncomfortable enough to look around try to see the source of the noise. One woman left her seat, went to the bus driver and asked him to please do something about the cretin who was, by the minute, showing his remarkable lack of any intelligence! The driver simply shrugged his shoulders in a helpless gesture and did nothing to stop the behavior. The noise continued. Finally, a young man--a passenger--probably in his mid twenties, stood up, turned to the obnoxious idiot and very calmly but forcefully said, "Watch your mouth! There are older people on this bus offended by your language and children too. Now be quiet!" He turned and sat down again, but there was no question that he was not the kind of person to be ignored. The cretin mumbled something and shut up. The rest of the ride was peaceful. As I walked out I turned to the young man who had made the simple request and said "thanks!" He deserved much more.

So, are drivers given sedatives before they get behind the wheel? Or is obnoxious behavior so common they no longer recognize it? I wondered what it would be like to ride public transportation in this city with some enforcement of the rules. The only rule I've ever seen enforced is having to pay before you can ride. Fair enough. But what about the more obvious things? It's a $300 fine if you eat, smoke or drink, SEPTA boldly proclaims, then does absolutely nothing about enforcing it. Floors are littered with uneaten food, discarded drinks and paper. In fact, I've seen bus drivers chow down while they drive. Subway trains are as bad or worse. Not only are they mobile dumpsters, people ignore the signs requesting them to NOT pass between trains totally oblivious to the danger there. They blatantly block the doorways and are often beyond obnoxious. But I am no longer calling them "pigs." Having grown up on a farm, I realize that it is a great injustice to swine to liken them to many people I see here taking public transportation!

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Rider Rant: P from NC

2009-12-05T09:40:00.001-05:00

A little note from a Philly expatriate currently living in central North Carolina who took a trip home to all that is Philly and she remembered some of the good while experiencing some of the too-soon-forgotten bad...

I moved to rural NC in early 08 and came back home to Philly in September. Guess I got so cozy in the hospitable South, that I forgot my 22 years commuting on SEPTA.

Instead of facing the traffic and driving from Media into Center City, I decide to take the trolley and El. Inside the piss-infested windowless station, I found a crumpled schedule and read how I could get an all day pass for $8. Great, I thought, I need to go to several places and this will help. Stupidly thought, anyway.

It's the middle of the day and I board the nearly empty trolley, smile (as I've been retrained to do down here) and said, "I'd like to purchase a day pass." "Not here," says the driver without so much as turning her neck to glance at me. I wait for more information. None coming. She is totally ignoring me. Sigh. "Well, I'm visiting from out of state and I'm going into town and need a transfer." "No change," she replies with about as much interest in me as an air molecule. Poor tourists...

There's a TOTAL disconnect between SEPTA PR and SEPTA workers. The schedule makes it sound so easy to be a visitor. The drivers treat you like you're just another Philly cockroach in their way. How could I have forgotten this in just under a year? Silly me.

My last 2 years of commuting required passing through colorful 69th St. I think what finalized my decision to leave Philly was the day two seeing-eye dogs were in a vicious fight next to the customer service booths and no one was blinking an eye.

Not all SEPTA memories are bad. There was the time I left my purse behind on Christmas Eve - the driver turned it in and the many SEPTA folks I dealt with that day could not have been kinder. I slid a nice tip to a few of them that day!

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Serious About Change

2009-12-02T08:21:00.001-05:00

Apparently not serious enough...

Reader Scott sends in this photo from a Pathmark on Aramingo Ave in Port Richmond. At least it wasn't a machine eating his money or 26 nickels.

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Recounting of A Raging Speed Demon Bitch

2009-11-24T08:33:00.001-05:00

A reader submission...

So as the school year began, it seemed as the drivers got shifted around. The 8 bus that I usually take was now being driven by a raging speed demon bitch. Let's look at some of her highlights:
The very first day she drove the bus I took, a poor old man came on the bus and said to her, "This is the 8 correct?" To which she snapped, "WHAT DOES IT SAY ON THE FRONT OF THE BUS? DID YOU NOT READ WHAT IT SAID?" or something to that effect. For the win, the guy walked to a seat and said, "Wow, what a cunt."

Another day we were behind a school bus that had quite a few kids on. Every time we caught a red light, the driver would proceed to honk and moan because the bus refused to run yellow lights. Sorry, the other person cares about the well being of their passengers who happen to be little kids.

Our most recent story involves us getting off at FTC and crossing the little median to go to the stop (which is only a few feet away). We both saw the 8 pull out and come up to it's stop. No sooner did it pull up, leaving a few people on, it shut the doors and zoomed off. I don't even recall now if the bus bothered stopping. Any other day, it's like a 2 day wait before we're on our merry way.

Of course you contact SEPTA about the rude service and their response? "Next time, get the person's name and number on the side of the bus." Oh I'm sorry. What part of "the.bus.drove.off" didn't you hear? You would think the time the bus drove up would be good enough. Apparently that's just too much for Septa to keep track of...plus, we all know SEPTA runs on SEPTA time: We come whenever we damn well please, screw what the schedule says.

Luckily, we've been driven by a nice young man as of late.

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Wonderful SEPTA stories

2009-11-19T08:16:00.000-05:00

A couple "wonderful SEPTA stories" from a reader...

One time I bought SEPTA tickets with a debit card, the SEPTA employee swiped my card twice. I didn't think that would be a problem and didn't think about it. Then, later in the day, I tried to get cash out with the same card. The ATM machine told me there was a problem, that the transaction could not be completed, and to contact my bank.

When I did, the bank employee told me the card was "locked." After investigating the problem we figured out together that the incompetent SEPTA person had swiped my card twice which registered the sale twice within seconds of each other. The bank's software automatically locked down my card because usually when this happens it is a mistake or a sign that your identity has been stolen.

Thanks SEPTA!

Also, I used to have a job in which tardiness would result in money deducted from your check. After relying on SEPTA's R5 Paoli line for 5 years, my paychecks suffered on a regular basis. I started leaving an hour ahead of schedule to buffer the constant lateness or complete failure of service, which extended my total work day from 10 hours to 11, without any extra compensation.

EVEN THEN, my paycheck had money taken out for tardiness because giving SEPTA 2 full hours to get me from Berwyn to the city (which is supposed to take 37 to 43 minutes depending on the train) wasn't enough. On the R5 Paoli line, there is NO SUCH THING as a week without significant train lateness or complete service failue of some sort (not to mention crazy union sabotage antics like the recent fire - YEAH SURE, that was an accident on the first full day of the strike).

You guys risk human life to get your measly $1200 signing bonus?!!! That's less than 800 bucks after taxes.

Dear SEPTA - You are dead to me.

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Broad Ridge Spur

2009-11-16T08:05:00.001-05:00

Reader James offers up one of those Donald Rumsfeld imponderables:

Why do all the maps say the Broad Ridge Spur connects to Spring Garden Station when it's Girard?! (And then when you finally get to the spur, there isn't any sign telling you which train on each side goes where. Someone wrote it in Sharpie on one of the pillars, but it got white washed by SEPTA officials who didn't bother putting in a sign of their own. Really?!)

Think on that for a sec.

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SEPTAfail in the Inky

2009-11-11T11:23:00.004-05:00

The Inky's Natalie Pompilio shot me an email a couple weeks ago to talk about SEPTAfail.com and other sites that mock or parody companies. I was more than happy to talk about it. The story is online now [thanks Natalie], but unfortunately, none of the sites mentioned in the article in today's Style & Soul section have their links included in the online version. LinkFAIL.

The ying and yang of other sites mentioned:

Etsy :: Regretsy
Facebook :: Lamebook
Walmart :: People of Walmart

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Rider Rant: Nyssa

2009-11-11T08:31:00.002-05:00

Here's a rider rant from Day 1 of the SEPTA strike of 2009.

I take a total of 3 buses to get to college, needless to say I already massively hate SEPTA and suffer from their douchbaggery daily, but this is unreal. SEPTA went on strike this morning, I was in bed more than half asleep when I heard on the news that they were on strike. I screamed NOOOOOOOOoooo, not that it properly expressed my rage.

Yesterday I was at 69th street station, going to buy my weekly pass, I asked the lady at the window for a weekly and then she asked me debit or credit, debit. Then she chats it up with the lady in the window next to her, FORGETS what I said just a minute ago about wanting debit and then I enter my pin. I was walking away from the window, looked at my card and saw that it was not a weekly, but a monthly.

Since it's SEPTA, I had to get to my bus so I'm stuck with this monthly pass. To sum up window lady freaking sold me a monthly because she was just too busy chatting it up with her bud than to pay attention, and on top of that I'm 70 dollars in the hole, money that could have been spent on a cute dress, and SEPTA is on strike for god knows how long. If I do happen to see anyone on strike, I might start a riot.

I will note that SEPTA has announced exchanges and credits for weekly/monthly passes which are redeemable starting at the end of the month. On a side note, apparently SEPTA Regional Rail conductors were punching TransPasses if you used them to ride Regional Rail during the strike. They were supposed to tell you they were going to be punching the passes (so you can't get a refund), but didn't always do so. From the same article:

Such punched passes, and the TrailPasses that kept being honored for regional rails, are not eligible for credits or exchange, SEPTA said.

Unpunched weekly and monthly passes are eligible, even if they were used before the strike.

"We only brought out the punch when there was a service disruption," explained SEPTA spokesman Jerri Williams.

Generally, people trying to use a TransPass - usually honored on buses, subways and trolleys - to ride the regional rails were told they might want to purchase tickets instead, she said.

"We hope that at the time they used it that was explained to them," Williams said.

"We hope," Williams says. Oh SEPTA, you truly are not even close to "Getting There"

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Rider Rant: Sarah

2009-11-10T09:16:00.001-05:00

Here's a story from reader, and friend, Sarah, recounting a lovely trip back from the shore on SEPTA...

Coming home from a weekend down the shore, I took PATCO to 8th Street. I toyed with the idea of walking home, but realized it had started to drizzle at that point. "No problem!" thought I, "The El will take me the rest of the way."

I only had to wait a few minutes for the next train. I was standing behind a big group of people who were slowly shuffling into the train. There was a bit of a bottle neck and I stood just outside the doors, waiting for the group to clear some space. Standing half in, half out of the train seemed like a bad idea.

I've made many good decisions and I've made many bad decisions in my life. Staying on the platform was one of them.

The little orange lights flashed and I realized the doors were closing. "The hell? I'm not on the train yet. Neither are the two people behind me." "Doors closing," announced Mrs. Septa. I swung my arm between the doors, thinking it'd be like an elevator and stay open. Then I realized this had the potential to be one of those bad decisions and pulled my arm back out.

The doors closed, right in my face.

I turned my head towards the conductor-end of the train and shouted "HEY! WE WANT TO GET ON THE TRAIN."

The train pulled away.

I felt like I was back in gym class, getting picked last for dodgeball. "Did I really just get rejected by the El?" I turned to the two gentlemen who were also denied. "Did that just happen?" Both were as stunned as I was. The conductor would have had to seen us, if he had glanced down the side of the train. I wasn't standing next to one of the columns, I was definitely between it and the train. Weren't they supposed to look? Make sure everyone was on the train before closing the doors? What if stroller or wheel chair was having trouble navigating the gap?

I marched up to the ticket window and explained what had just happened. The woman was extraordinarily concerned and suggested that I log a complaint. She turned away and I assumed she was getting some sort of official complaint form. Instead, she handed me a piece of cardboard from the back of a stack of tickets, with a phone number written on it.

Back on the platform, I made sure to note the exact time (2:42pm) the next train pulled into the platform, so I could explain to whomever took my call that it was the train before that had kicked dirt in my face. When I called, however, the Septa customer service rep insisted on having the car number. Which I did not write down. He promised to make some inquiries and call me back.

About a half hour later, he did. Miracles.

He told me that without a car number, it was impossible to figure out which conductor it was, but that there had been a train through 8th Street at 2:36 and one at 2:45 and he was pretty sure it was this good-for-nothing female conductor in the 2:45 train, because she's getting older, you see, and...

I cut him off there and explained that it couldn't have been the female conductor in the 2:45, because I was pretty sure that was the train that had actually picked me up.

"Oh," he said, followed by a bit of silence. "Well, I can't go to the union without a car number anyway."

I'll give him this - he seemed to be genuinely concerned with fixing my problem enough so that I would go away, somewhat satisfied.

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Strike Over!

2009-11-09T02:00:00.005-05:00

The news out of Metro Philly [Metro broke a story?!] that the strike was over came out about 11p. I hoofed it to The Bellevue Hotel to catch the press conference which was delayed for almost an hour after the announcement went out to the local news. Just before the press conference was about to start, the first elevator in the hotel lobby dinged, but the doors didn't open. All the principals involved - Gov. Ed Rendell, Mayor Michael Nutter, TWU Local 234 President Willie Brown, Rep. Bob Brady, SEPTA GM Joe Casey - were stuck in the elevator. Maintenance had to be called. A crowbar was brought to the lobby and the elevator full of the most powerful politicos in SE PA were set free. Above is a photo of Brown and Rendell exiting the elevator after buzzing the alarm several times.

Governor Rendell took to the mic first, explaining quick and dirty that the strike was over and that an agreement had been reached. "Service will resume tomorrow for the AM rush," he explained. And here's Rendell's opening statements of the press conference telling exactly what was changed:

"Let the buses roll," Mayor Nutter said, while looking the most refreshed out of the group. Nutter applauded everyone's efforts in bringing an end to the strike.

Nutter turned to TWU Local 234 President Willie Brown to shake his hand. Brown basically blamed Nutter for the strike calling him "Little Caesar" on Day 1.

A bleary-eyed Pres. Brown was relieved the strike was over and noted that they were hammering out the final little details.

Always up for a little more face time in front of the camera, Rendell pointed out that "It's a good agreement for the taxpayer," addressing concerns that monies meant for other projects in the state were to be diverted to cover the costs of the new agreement.

Rep. Bob "Strikebuster" Brady took to the mic to commend the work that everyone involved put in, pointing to TWU Local 234 President Willie Brown first. He added that everyone worked all the time and negotiations "never broke off" as reported.

After the press conference was over, Gov Rendell and Mayor Nutter had what appeared to be a fairly serious conversation with tons of firm gestures. Their relationship hasn't been the best of times during the Mayor's short tenure.

NBC10 reports:

SEPTA management made a minor change in the National Healthcare language and also agreed to pay for three years of dental coverage.

The contract will be put to a vote Monday by the membership and is expected to be ratified.

Well, the SEPTA strike of 2009 is all over folks. I'm happy my 11p prediction was wrong. I'm almost always wrong in predicting things.

If any of the newsies want to get at me for photos, get at me.

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Some Reflections on the 2009 Strike

2009-11-06T15:35:00.006-05:00

Here I am, sitting at my desk, Day 4 of the 2009 SEPTA strike. I've got some stuff to add to the conversation in addition to what's been said in the Open Thread: SEPTA Strike 2009. I'm with the union on this one. Yes, the guy behind the site entitled SEPTAfail is standing with the TWU234. I know, I probably just blew some of your minds. It's not that I'm unaffected by the strike, it's not that I don't give a shit about those who can't get around town without public transportation, it's not that I don't give a shit about people who don't earn as good a living as some SEPTA employees do. It's that unions have a place in this time, this country, this city. America has changed a lot since the inception of unions, but they've managed to stick around whether you like it or not.

America is no longer the manufacturing powerhouse it once was. Hell, it isn't the manufacturing powerhouse it was 20 years ago. Times are a changing for sure. As America changes, fewer and fewer people are working in labor-intensive jobs. America has basically shifted to a consumer culture. Sure there's a resurgence in farming/gardening, making your own clothes, DIY stuff in general - but it's on a small scale. There are fewer farms controlled by even fewer large agri-business entities. Multinational corporations make decisions, large manufacturing plants are closing. The mindset of unions is less prevalent than ever. But here we are Philly. Once an industrial capital of the entire world. Decidedly turned against the unions who are fighting to protect something most Americans don't have anymore: pensions.

That's what this strike is about - Pensions. You won't read stuff like that in the papers or watch it on the local news coverage anywhere from what I've seen. All I've seen is a one-sided argument for the union to back down and let everyone remain at the status quo we were at before. Back when the union was working without a contract - for 6 months. It was an issue 6 months ago and the city/state/union should've had it taken care of ages ago and there should never have been a strike. I'll agree to that much, sure. But we're right in the middle of it now and it doesn't look like it'll be another week-long strike like 2005's. In the comments section of the news articles and random blog posts from around the way I see a ton of anonymous comments asking for as much to "Kill 'em all." as one commenter so eloquently put it on this very blog. Pathetic and cowardly.

So let's see what the people on strike have to say about it. Here are some of their faces. They are real people who are currently not earning any money while on strike. How much would it take for you to walk out on your job right now in this economy? To not earn any money while standing up for what you believe in? Would you do it? Could you do it? I couldn't. But the members of 234 feel it's that important to them to do so. In my book, that earns some serious respect points. Here's a video the people at Media Mobilizing Project put together while noticing all the one-sided coverage in the local news.

Let me highlight a part of the video taken from a November 4th TWU234 meeting. Union president Willie Brown:

While other issues remain unsettled, one of our main issues is pensions. Our pension.

Our pension is funded, roughly, at about 52%. That level is totally unacceptable for us. It has nothing to do with the economy crashing. It has to do with SEPTA underfunding the pension, negligently, over the last 20 years. Whereas our pension is funded at 52%, SEPTA's management's pension is funded roughly, about 90%. Whereas we put twice as much into the pension as SEPTA, they get twice as much out. On the other hand, SEPTA puts twice as much away for managers as 234 members.

There you have it in a nutshell. You have to understand that there's SEPTA and there's the TWU Local 234; they are two separate entities. SEPTA is the one controlling the money, TWU represents the workers asking for a fair funding of their pension.

Watch the video above to see It's Our Money's Ben Waxman talk to brown. SEPTA has a lot of money right now from increased federal dollars and revenue from increased ridership. SEPTA has, in theory, a dedicated source of funding if the I-80 toll thing ever passes. We'll see what happens in the future. It's Our Money points out while it can be argued that both sides are right in saying SEPTA is flush with cash (234 stance) and that it's still not doing well (management), it can't be argued that SEPTA is in a better financial state than it was in 2005 during the last strike/negotiation. Brown noted in the interview with Waxman that in 2005, SEPTA agreed to a 5-year contract for the first time ever. SEPTA announced $40M deficit in 2005, threatened to cut routes and weekend service, but TWU234 got the 3% increase they asked for. But now, SEPTA is offering less. Explain that?

Ronnie Polaneczky complains:

I'm thinking about the 400 employees at Crozer Chester Medical Center who lost their jobs this year. And the 22 staffers axed last Thursday at Drinker Biddle & Reath. And the Comcast employees who learned on Wednesday that the cable giant plans to pink-slip a number of workers, even though the company is enjoying a fabulously profitable year.

Yes, it sucks that people are getting laid off left and right. I've had several friends come to me in the last year for help looking for jobs for one reason or another. It fucking sucks. But for Polaneczky to arrogantly bring up the plight of Comcast workers without bringing up the fact that David Cohen, the highest earner in the city and big wig up a the top of the Comcast Center is pulling in $22M a year and that their cable monopoly has a stranglehold on this city as well? Bullshit and piss poor writing. Sure, she's a columnist and not a reporter, but come on. Give up a couple column inches to feign journalistic standards/integrity for a second here.

People keep bringing up the things the union turned down - the staggered 2.5% and 3% raises (without merit, mind you) and $1250 bonuses. Sure that's great for the short term. But that's a horribly near-sighted view to take. A typically American near-sighted view at that. TWU234 is looking at the long view here. They're looking out for their members. Just as Americans should be worried about Social Security drying out before they get a taste of it through the mirage of what retirement has become. TWU234 wants their hard-working membership to be able to have some peace once they retire.

So you can continue to have at it in the comments. But I know that there are people reading this blog like Adam Feldman, justin, Joselle and Wes who are seeing the other side of this strike. NOBODY, I repeat: NOBODY wants a strike. Not the union, not the ridership, not SEPTA management, not me, not you, not Nutter, not Rendell, not Brady, not Fattah, not Evans... But we're here. And it's incumbent upon people to understand what the strike is about and to be more informed. I don't give a shit if you disagree with me, the TWU234 or whomever. I want you to understand what's going on and I think few do.

Now feel free to rip me a new one in the comments. Also, feel free to appreciate what the TWU234 does and is doing.

Since there is no end to anti-strike stuff around the way, I thought I'd point to some more pro-TWU Local 234 posts from around the way:
Ray Murphy over at Young Philly Politics
Septa Watch
The Bee Side
SEPTA Girl

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Open Thread: SEPTA Strike 2009

2009-11-03T01:43:00.010-05:00

Day 1 2 3 4 5 6

Have at it folks.

What did you have to do to get to work/school/play/errands? Carpool? Walk? Bike? Cab?

Did you already buy your monthly passes?

How long do you think this one will last?

Do you believe unions are relevant in 2009?

I'm fortunate to live in Center City and my commute to work is 7 blocks or so. I also love to ride my bike. I will probably not be too horribly affected by the strike. But I'm in the minority here.

This Daily News page might have some helpful info about the strike.

And my [most likely unpopular] thoughts on the strike in this post.

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MTA's Zippo to SEPTA's Sticks

2009-10-31T09:35:00.001-04:00

There's an episode of my favorite childhood comedy, Seinfeld where Jerry reveals to his Willy Loman-esque buddy George that he's got a special move he uses in the sack. He had been holding out on his best friend and went and told his mechanic, Putty (who was dating Elaine), the move. George was livid. George screeches:

I can't believe you're hoarding sex moves. I'm out there rubbing two sticks together. You walk around with a Zippo.

The shot above [via tumblr is the MTA of NYC's Zippo to SEPTA's two sticks. They've installed LCD screens along the L line, running under the main thoroughfare of 14th St through Manhattan through North Brooklyn to Canarsie. To put that into perspective, it's roughly the length of the Market-Frankford Line, cutting right through the city in the same east-west manner. Imagine knowing where all those trains were.

The LCD screens are updated every 15 seconds with the location of each and every train on the line. Imagine that - knowing where your train is and knowing if it's 1, 2, 3 stops or more away. A bigger look at the photo above here

I've heard the chatter about SEPTA's über state-of-the art inner workings. How the whole system is being overhauled with message boards. Hell, I've even seen some of the message boards being tested here and there. But I've been in NYC, DC even Atlanta and in those cities I know how much longer I have to wait in a reeking-of-piss, shit-stained station before a train arrives. Not in Philly. Not with SEPTA. I'm afraid that by the time this new state-of-the-art system is in place, it'll be 10 years too late.

SEPTA doesn't do too well with technology after all. I think we're the only major transportation agency still using antiquated tokens. Yes, we do have farecards, but can we buy them at machines that take credit cards or even $1 bills? Nope. Remember when SEPTA took out all the big token machines because they couldn't read the new $1 bills? Ouch.

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41st St Summer Stack

2009-10-29T12:42:00.007-04:00

There it is in all it's glory: The Stack. More badass than the 3 bus stack as this is 6 #34 trolleys stopped at 41st St.

I used to have to take the 34 trolley out to 49th & Baltimore for a job. Oh how I hated the 34 trolley. It was consistently the most infrequently running trolley out of City Hall in the mornings no matter what time I got there. I cringe every time I have to take the 34 out to West Philly these days.

Thanks to reader Yahel for sending this one in.

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Aaand, We're Back

2009-10-29T11:45:00.004-04:00

Okay, okay, I know. It's been awhile. But I got very busy over the spring/summer and just didn't have the time to go through all the emails and such. I was also riding SEPTA less in those months as I was on my bike as much as possible so I had less material to post. But it's getting nippy out again so more SEPTA riding I will do and I presume you too, dear reader.

I'm bringing SEPTAFail back just in time for the looming strike of Transport Workers Local 234. Send in all of your stories/rants. Your memories of the last strike 5 years ago. I have fond memories of my roughly 10 mile daily bike rides to/from work in the cold because of the strike.

Send in your comments/rants/stories/photos/videos! Rants everything else.

Sign Hack

2009-06-15T13:59:00.005-04:00

I've received several emails about this very well done sign hack first mentioned over at design philadelphia this morning. The prankster(s) even managed to get the signs behind the glass from what I can tell in the fuzzy photos I've seen so far. The photo above was sent in by a friend of the show's facebook page (no idea whose page, but if you're reading this, drop me a line and I'll post a link).

Where are these signs being posted? Regional Rail? BSL? MFL? Lemme know.

A closer look at design philadelphia's shots here and here. The full text of the sign:

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
(SEPTA) is committed to providing non-discriminatory
transportation services to all its passengers, including
schizophrenics, drug addicts, Irish Catholics, hipsters,
homos, prostitutes, gentrifying transplants, raging
maniacs, tourists, obnoxious Penn students, corner boys,
pimps, drunk rich kids who still think Old City is cool, and
terrified suburbanites who tremble with unease at the
sight of everyone.

Any person who is or seeks to be a patron of SEPTA
public vehicle shall be entitled to the same depressing
experience of loud cell phones, obese people eating
McDonalds, parents telling their toddlers to "Shut the
Fuck Up!", and a constant inch-deep layer of urine-soaked
trash and debris.

No person or group of persons shall be discriminated
against on any grounds with regard to routing,
scheduling, or quality of transportation service furnished
by SEPTA, with the following exceptions—race, color,
socioeconomic status, and proximity to suburbs.

Any person who has experienced a cleaner, more
efficient, more extensive , and better managed public
transportation in the U.S. (e.g. Most if not all) can
feel free to notify SEPTA about potential improvements,
which shall promptly be ignored.

For a long time, I've wanted to see a SEPTA version of this sign come to life, but nobody's stepped up just yet. Will the sign prankster hone his/her/their design skillz and remake an outage sign for all of us to chuckle at briefly before cursing SEPTA once again for a real delay on the very line you're waiting to arrive?

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Rider Rant: Dynah

2009-05-08T08:30:00.000-04:00

A rider rant from the weekend from reader Dynah...

I got on the 40 bus this morning near home in Wynnefield. Because I use a wheelchair, drivers usually ask where I'm getting off (I guess so they know how long I'll be on there taking up a bunch of seats). I told him 2nd St, the end of the route, and he told me he could only go to 16th because of the Broad Street Run (the 40 runs down South from 23rd to 2nd). Now I understand that sometimes it's not possible for buses to get places because of events, but just skipping 14 blocks of the route is more than a little detour- I personally can't make it that far and didn't get where I had planned to go.

What's worse, I was the only passenger who was informed of the shortened route. Everyone else getting on assumed it would go all the way- even the people who got on just blocks from the route's untimely end, paying full price to ride a few hundred feet. Also upset, quite understandably, was the elderly woman who said to the driver, after being told to get off at 16th, "How am I going to get to 6th? You should have told us when we got on that it wasn't going all the way!" I hope she had more luck reaching her destination than I did.

Anybody else recently have some event-related transit issues?

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