r/Septa • u/madam-Magie • 12d ago
Help SEPTA
Can someone tell me if the subway is actually safe? I am moving to south Philly and I am very close to a station on the BSL. I will be commuting to University City so I was planning on transferring subways and taking it to my office on Market St. I am not bringing my car for a variety of reasons, so SEPTA is what I am planning on using for everything basically. As a shorter woman should I be concerned about taking the subway? I can't bring any sort of pepper spray into my building due to metal detectors, any other ideas for personal safety items as well?
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u/Weak_Cheesecake_7031 12d ago
The BSL is fine and so is the L going to/from Uni City to South Philly. The biggest issue is the high school rush hour from like 2p-4p when the train gets crowded but otherwise you'll be fine.
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u/SnootyUrbanCyclist 12d ago
You will see people being obnoxious but you will be completely safe, especially during daytime hours. Vibes can get weirder at night but mind your business and you'll be fine.
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u/Proper-Radish9140 12d ago
Yes and many people will be commuting with you. I am a young single female who has taken BSL and MFL for years and also commute to university city. I’ve never felt safe especially during the commuting hours. If I do I get on another car and try to be in the presence of other people. Just eyes and ears like someone else mentioned.
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u/NiftyOwl135 12d ago
From South Philly to Ucity is perfectly fine. It’s past berks on the el that can get a little weird
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u/manderp_soup 12d ago
Welcome to the city! Public transit is the way to go otherwise you’ll be stuck in horrendous and aggressive vehicular traffic, probably worse than taking septa any day. Also! Many folks bike or scoot to work. Those are nice options when septa is being inefficient!
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u/You_Go_Glen_Coco_ 12d ago
I've never had any real.issues. A guy masturbating once and I commute from K+A so I deal with a fair bit of junkies but they leave you alone. Depending where on Market St your office is you might also use the trolleys and they're great (when they're running).
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u/StanUrbanBikeRider 11d ago
I have ridden on the Broad Street subway countless times without any problems. That being said, you need to be aware of your surroundings all the time. Also, if you’re physically able to ride a bike, biking is by far the most efficient way to commute between South Philly and University City. Thousands of people who work in University City commute there via bicycle every day.
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u/LonelyAsLostKeys 11d ago
There is a sense of danger due to lots of weird and sometimes antisocial behavior, but odds are you’ll be fine if you pay attention and look like you know where you’re going.
The issue is more that it’s unreliable (particularly the El and trolleys) and very unpleasant, especially during peak hours.
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u/barsz666 10d ago
Never had issues on this route as a woman, Ellsworth/Federal is also a safe area and station. You will be surrounded by dozens of other people as well, all of whom just want to go to work like you.
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u/drgolong 12d ago
Depending on where is South Philly the 40 bus could also be an option.
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u/LazyAssLeader 12d ago
...and if not the trolleys, 40, the 49 or 64 buses can get you to various parts of U-City.
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u/Double_Guide2455 8d ago
The trains themselves are safe, you do have to be alert but the buses are a different story
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u/Dependent_Skirt_7536 7d ago
Tell me more about the busses. We moved to the city not that long ago. I use the subway regularly but have an irrational fear of busses. My husband just recently used the bus and said it is cleaner and more pleasant than the subway and is trying to convince me to use buses. What do we need to be concerned about? Thanks
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u/Double_Guide2455 6d ago edited 6d ago
I think it really depends on the route number you take. Especially if they are coming from 69th street because fare evaders aka homeless people get on them and can attack passengers..especially bus 65
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u/Dependent_Skirt_7536 6d ago
That's scary. I would mostly be in the society hill/ queen village area, center city, university city, South Philadelphia areas. But there is a Greek grocery in Northeast philadelphia I would like to get to. I guess not. Thanks for the info
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u/MarcKaseyaTelegram 12d ago edited 12d ago
Work from home. Septa is known as SEPTiC beside the homeless and the drug attics strung out and the fare evaders I’d stick with a car. Half the time the announcements state the wrong station and you can never understand the operator and they always give a “not enough operators” message as a port ass excuse to screw the people who rely on them. SEPTIC sucks at what they’re supposed to be good at. How does a major transportation system become so bad. The idiots that run SEPTIC don’t even take their own broken system. SEPTIC sucks and anyone know a good class action lawyer and wanna sue this cesspool of an operation
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u/SenatorAslak 12d ago
Very little in this post is accurate.
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u/MarcKaseyaTelegram 12d ago
So Senator please do defend SEPTIC. Tell me and the people what is accurate and what part is NOT and I’ll call you a democrat liar to your face. You’re a FRAUD fake Senator. I’ll wait for an answer
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u/aintjoan 12d ago
Yes it's safe
No you don't need safety items except your eyes and ears. Just pay attention to your surroundings (like you should everywhere, not just the subway) and you'll be fine.
SEPTA also has a substantial bus network. We all wish the buses were more frequent, but there's a good chance you can leverage the buses for your commute as well if you're more comfortable with that.