A new city, a whole new transit system! From my home base at the University of Pennsylvania, I’ll be reviewing every bus route and train station on the sprawling SEPTA.
*Full Disclosure: I volunteer on the SEPTA Youth Advisory Council, but all opinions on this blog are my own.
Recent Posts from Miles on SEPTA
59 (Castor-Bustleton to Arrott Transportation Center)
It's time to gush over another trackless trolley! Man, I love riding these. Can I just give the route a 10/10 now? What? That's unfair? Okay, fine, I'll ride the 59 first... Arrott is a tough place to get photos. Gotta love the arm poking out from the left! Our...
5th Street/Independence Hall (MFL)
See that cracked bell behind glass? That's apparently a giant tourist attraction for some reason! Yeah, I don't know why people love this thing so much when...I mean, it's a bell. Philly has so much more to offer than...a bell! Okay, whatever, I'm not here to review...
Aquarium and Entertainment Center (River LINE)
Welcome to the very small touristy part of Camden! It gets two River LINE stations, each named after their closest tourist attractions, and I figured we'd look at both of them in one post. Why? Because...well, they're both pretty uninteresting. So, let's review...
49 (33rd-Dauphin to 29th-Snyder)
NOTE (12/3/19): This is about ten months late, but it's been on my mind: when this post came out, a number of people expressed concern that I referred to Strawberry Mansion as "one of the most notoriously dangerous neighborhoods in Philadelphia." I'm sorry for saying...
Service Change: Transit in Baltimore
A Service Change??? Yes, I'm actually doing one. My friend and I visited Baltimore a few weekends ago, and I came in knowing I wanted to do a post - I had never been to the Charm City before, and I knew very little about its public transportation network, the MTA...
48 (Front-Market to 27th-Allegheny)
Since the 49 is opening in less than a week, I thought I'd take a look at one of the other routes that winds its way through Brewerytown and Fairmount. I've actually ridden both the 48 and the 7 in full, but since A) the 48 comes before the 7 in my backlog, and B) the...
Riverside (River LINE)
The River LINE's half-hourly headways are really good considering it's basically a commuter rail service. But waiting in Riverside, NJ for half an hour on an early Sunday morning? Lemme tell ya, there's not a lot to do. Yup...this is all there is to it. I get the...
NJT: 419 (Camden – Route 73/Pennsauken Station – Riverside)
Look, I like the River LINE. I know the diesel-powered light rail/commuter rail hybrid from Camden to Trenton is basically there just so NJT can say "Look, we have light rail in South Jersey!", but it's great for what it is. It's reasonably frequent, it has vastly...
15th/16th and Locust Street (PATCO)
Oho, we're getting some PATCO up in here! As much as I love going to New Jersey (I know a lot of people hate it, but you can't deny it's one of the most interesting states in the country), the main thing keeping me away is the fact that, despite having a SEPTA pass, I...
36th Street (Trolleys)
The first time my family came to Philadelphia, we stayed at a hotel right next to this station. I was shocked when we took the trolley for the first time. "Where are the fare gates????" I asked desperately. Oh, Miles. You had a lot to learn. The station's two...
The Blog’s Sixth Anniversary!
A lot has happened in 2018. I've ridden the first trip of a new commuter rail line, conquered the bus from hell, and even changed domains and started writing about Philadelphia for some reason! As it stands, the vast majority of my viewership is still from...
Tasker-Morris (BSL)
I'm back in Philly! So far I've taken the El and a few buses, but I've yet to set foot on the ol' Broad Street Line. Will that hinder my ability to properly review Tasker-Morris Station in South Philadelphia? Uhhh...doesn't matter, because there's no turning back - I...
14 (Oxford Valley and Neshaminy Malls to Frankford Transportation Center)
It's time to spend some quality time on Roosevelt Boulevard. This road is among the ranks of Route 1 in West Palm Beach, FL, Route 1 in Saugus, MA, and Route 1 in South Jersey as being one of the ugliest I've ever seen. Oh, and Roosevelt Boulevard is Route 1, too!...
129 (Frankford-Knights to Oxford Valley Mall)
I think most of us can agree that in the grand scheme of things, 2018 was not a great year. It feels fitting to close it off with a long, crazy route that doesn't really go anywhere (at least not quickly) and makes way too many deviations for its own good. Hi, 129....
66 (Frankford Transportation Center to Frankford-Knights)
Anyone who's read my Boston content knows that I love trackless trolleys. I was bound to take a SEPTA one pretty early on. The 66 is the longest and most suburban of the three trackless trolley routes in Philly, running from Frankford Transportation Center on a...