On Tuesday, November 1st at 12:01 AM, the SEPTA union contract effectively ends and an automatic union strike begins. Thus, the nightmare of every commuter in the city begins. SEPTA is the main source of public transportation in the city and often people's only way of transportation to anywhere in Philly. The union that represents the SEPTA workers, Transportation Workers United Local 234, had voted unanimously to strike if a new contract has yet to be agreed upon. Their list of grievances include inadequate breaks for the bathroom, wages, healthcare, quality of life, along with changes to the current structure of pensions. A failure to address these issues will cause over 5700 SEPTA employees to go on strike, causing the buses, trolleys, and subways to cease operations and leaving the 400,000 daily commuters who depend on SEPTA to find alternative ways to get around. It looks like the current negotiations are not going well as SEPTA had advised commuters to begin looking for other options. So what are these other options for people who depend on SEPTA for work, school, etc.?
1. The Regional Rail train will still be in operation and the express will make a few more stops in the city as these SEPTA workers are under a different contract. However, expect a TON of people to use this and it doesn't help that they still face a shortage of rail cars from the Summer. Services outside the city like suburban buses, PATCO, and Norristown Line will still be in operation as well.
2. Many employers and services across the city such as the City and School District have said that they will operate under normal hours and advised employees to find another way to work/school but understand the inconvenience. The prepare, the city will offer free shuttle buses for city employees along Broad Street and Market Street. The School District will continue normal school hours and days but if an absent student who depends on public transit brought a note from a parent, their absence would be marked excused. Students would not be marked late either if their lateness was legitimately due to the strike. Yellow school buses should still be in operation.
Superintendent Dr. Hite sent a letter to parents to look for alternative options for children to go to school
3. Uber and Lyft, who were recently legalized by the state, is expected to offer discounted rates near SEPTA stations.
4. You will be able to stop in bus zones to pick up and drop off passengers when driving.
5. IndeGo is expected to increase the number of bikes in stations across center city.
If the strike goes into election day, it would not be the end of the world. A SEPTA strike occurred in the 2008 election and people were still able to get to the polls either by walking, carpooling, or getting lifts from local churches.
If you're frustrated with the lack of options presented here, I feel you. As a daily commuter, I'll have to find a different way to get to work as would everyone else. That's why everyone is being urged to make a contingency plan because there are not that many options and its unclear how long the strike would last if it were to be initiated. It is doable to make it through a SEPTA strike but it would cause great inconvenience. Let's just hope that SEPTA reaches a deal by Monday night with the union workers. If not, happy travels.
