Getting Around
SEPTA provides public transportation to Philadelphia and the Countryside seven days a week, with rides available as frequently as every few minutes, helping residents and visitors navigate their daily schedules and city adventures to big games at the stadium complex, major events like the Philadelphia Flower Show, the city’s magnificent parks and more.
SEPTA’s website is a great resource for schedules and maps where passengers can determine which lines and stops are best for them. Real-time alerts are available online and via the SEPTA mobile app (iOS and Android) so riders can stay on top of weather delays and route changes.
Regional Rail
SEPTA’s Regional Rail trains serve Philadelphia and the Countryside, with stations throughout the city and in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, as well as parts of Delaware and New Jersey.
Three major stations in Center City make public transportation a great choice for exploring the city. Jefferson Station, Suburban Station and William H. Gray III 30th Street Station are within walking distance of some of Philadelphia’s top attractions, including Philadelphia’s Historic District, Reading Terminal Market, City Hall and Dilworth Park, and so much more.
All three stations carry passengers to and from Philadelphia International Airport and Amtrak service.
Subway System
The Market-Frankford Line (MFL) and Broad Street Line (BSL) make up SEPTA’s subway system, carrying hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors through Philadelphia every day.
The MFL, often referred to as the blue line because of the color of the line’s seats and signs, travels an east-west path through the city, with stops in popular neighborhoods like Fishtown, Old City and University City.
Known most commonly to locals as the El, the line is elevated for parts of the ride, giving passengers a bird’s-eye view of bustling business corridors, the expanding skyline and West Philly’s beloved Love Letters murals.
The BSL, also known as the orange line, runs between North and South Philadelphia beneath Broad Street. NRG Station — the final stop at the southern end of the line — is just steps away from Xfinity Mobile Arena and Lincoln Financial Field, making the BSL a great way for fans to get to Eagles, Phillies, Sixers and Flyers games as well as concerts and other events around the stadium complex.
The line also stops near South Philly dining and shopping destinations like East Passyunk; North Philadelphia attractions like the historic Divine Lorraine Hotel and refurbished Met Philadelphia performing-arts venue; Olney’s North Fifth Street business corridor; and Center City neighborhoods like Chinatown, Logan Square, Rittenhouse Square and Midtown Village.
Trolley Lines
SEPTA’s eight trolley lines provide service at street level and underground, connecting passengers to other transit lines and making stops in Center City and along neighborhood commercial corridors.
Passengers can ride lines 11, 13, 34 and 36 take visitors to leafy West Philadelphia, where they can shop and dine along Baltimore Avenue in Spruce Hill and Cedar Park.
Buses
More than 100 bus routes provide ground transportation to SEPTA passengers, carrying riders throughout the city and surrounding region and providing service to Regional Rail stations. Some lines have numbers while others have letters.
A handful are Night Owl routes, meaning they run 24 hours a day.
Norristown High-Speed Line
SEPTA’s high-speed line connects parts of Delaware and Montgomery Counties, with access to the Market-Frankford Line subway, trolley lines and the Manayunk/Norristown Regional Rail line.
The high-speed line stops in towns like Ardmore, where visitors can pop into small boutiques, sit down for a tasty meal and catch a concert or comedy show.
Tickets and Payment
There are multiple ways to pay for a trip on SEPTA. For the best value, visitors can use SEPTA’s smart fare system, SEPTA Key.
Passengers can purchase and reload reusable Key cards with the debit card-style Travel Wallet function online and at SEPTA sales locations and station kiosks.
SEPTA also accepts contactless payment methods (credit/debit card or Apple/Google/Samsung Pay) for travel on buses, trolleys and both subway lines (Market-Frankford Line and the Broad Street Line.)
Fares are consistent across subway, trolley and bus lines. If you don’t pick up a Key card, cash or contactless payment methods are accepted onboard buses and trolleys.
Both subway lines can also be accessed with a tap of your credit/debit card or preferred smartphone payment method (Apple/Google/Samsung Pay).
Quick Trip single rides can also be purchased at kiosks on subway lines and select trolley stations. Conductors are available on Regional Rail trains to assist and can even process a cash or credit card payment onboard.
Riders can also explore the Philadelphia region with the One Day Anywhere FleX Pass, which allows up to 10 rides on SEPTA buses, trolleys, subways and trains, taking you everywhere from Bensalem to the Phillies, from Alden to the Art Museum or Springfield to South Street. Passes are $13 and can be loaded directly on to a SEPTA Key Card.
Also available: a One Day Neighborhood FleX pass, which allows up to 10 rides on buses, subways, trolleys and trains (up to any Zone 2 station) for just $10.
More information on fares, senior and student discounts, and transfers is available in detail on SEPTA’s website and Key website.
Accessibility
Many of the region’s SEPTA stations are wheelchair accessible, and every bus has a lift or ramp and can be lowered to street level. Accessible stations feature the access symbol next to the line name on SEPTA’s website.
SEPTA's articulated buses include low floor design and front-door ramps. — Photo courtesy SEPTA
Individually trained service animals are welcome on all forms of transportation, and SEPTA’s website offers a text reader for those who are blind or visually impaired and need to access schedules and fare information. SEPTA Key fare kiosks at stations have Braille and raised lettering, and an audio function that converts on-screen text to spoken word.
SEPTA’s CCT Connect offers transit services to people with disabilities who are not able to use the other lines. Click here for more information on SEPTA’s accessibility services.
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