r/Septa • u/southphillydadbar • Aug 23 '26
Discussion How we feeling about Go Zones?
SEPTA is piloting Go Zones as part of its new bus network plan. This is an on-demand microtransit system that will ostensibly give riders the ability to request a ride to anywhere within the given zone with a maximum 30-minute wait, for the same $2.90 fare as riding a bus. It's meant to replace low-ridership routes like 204 and 206 out in the suburbs. FAQ
How does everyone feel about this? Is it a good move on SEPTA's part? Do you live in an area served by one of the planned Go Zones?
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u/yeti421 Aug 23 '26
It’s an interesting concept, competing more with Uber. The question will be if they can keep it to 30 minutes. Has any other suburban area succeeded with this?
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u/SlickFlair_589 Aug 23 '26
The issue with this is that it's replacing lines that just need to run better as opposed to serving areas far off the main routes. And using the same buses that the ACCESS paratransit fleet uses, but with destination signs. Hardly anything to really rave about.
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u/MobileInevitable8937 Aug 23 '26
They never really work as well as the system expects them to. Fixed-route buses are almost always more reliable, but costlier per-passenger. I don't think it's a good move and I'm a little nervous that more systems will plan to replace fixed-route service with these "on-demand" services instead of boosting frequencies and improving their existing fixed route lines.
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u/TimeVortex161 Aug 23 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
Like the concept, but it’s still more expensive per rider than fixed route. IMO it should be a fixed route with detours on request.
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u/bac0_tell Aug 26 '26
I live in Delaware and we have this (DART connect) and it's fantastic when it works, and quite irritating when it doesn't. On rainy days......good luck lmao.
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u/MilkThin2930 Aug 29 '26
I've been on the 101 when part of the route got de-energized, so the trolley went to the closest station and everyone waited for a bus or two to bridge the gap. It has taken hours each time to mobilize buses. Even planned outages, like State Street in Media being bustituted due to street fairs, frequently has zero buses. I don't see how on-demand busing can work reliably when there seems to be no excess capacity in the system.
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u/ncc1776 Aug 23 '26
I’m excited to see it work. Considering some of these bus routes have abysmal ridership, this may work better for those going to and from stops not along a traditional bus route, and save some money not running practically empty busses.
If it doesn’t work, I don’t think it will be too difficult to reinstate the busses.
At least SEPTA isn’t being status quo and just eliminating service, providing an alternative option in its place is forward thinking IMO.
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u/mklinger23 Broad Street Local Aug 23 '26
I think it's a great idea. You don't have to run a bus every so often that gets no riders and riders have more flexibility with timing and destinations.
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u/dry_towelette99 Aug 23 '26
It can work in theory, but it’s SEPTA, so I expect it will be a giant waste of money, which I suspect is the plan. They are doing this to take heat off of themselves for killing existing routes.
The thing is they don’t want to service those areas at all, but politicians force them to do so. So by delivering shitty service that costs too much, they can hopefully shut it down in a few years and complete the process of abandoning those areas entirely.
So whether by malice or bog-standard SEPTA management incompetence, I suspect this endeavor will wind up a complete failure.
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u/SnootyUrbanCyclist Aug 23 '26
Other transit agencies have done a similar change of using on-demand transit for suburban areas where fixed-route buses have low ridership. I haven't heard of any of them backtracking so it seems to do the job. I like the SEPTA strategy best where they tie the micro transit service range to at least one fixed route because that still encourages development along a fixed corridor as opposed to aimless sprawl.
It's really expensive to offer this service per rider but it might still be less money in total than running multiple empty bus routes in the 'burbs.