One can quibble over whether the brown-paper-bag-colored background and mishmash of pinks and blues make for a compelling visual representation. Steif is certainly correct that the hulking Philadelphia full-system map, which includes rail and buses alike, is high-res. “You needed to know specific cross streets to get to and had to plan it manually.” “It used to be, back in day, you’d need high-res transit maps to plan your day,” says Ken Steif, director of the Master of Urban Spatial Analytics program at PennDesign. The route was established in 1984 and extended to the Plymouth Meeting Mall in 1989 (the previous terminus was in Lafayette Hill).Set aside aesthetics - not necessarily the forte of urban planning academic types - for a minute. Removing direct service to these areas could impact the length of time necessary to travel to and from work.Īccording to SEPTA, the 27’s route is 19.5 miles and in 2018 carried 4,390 riders on a typical workday (the pandemic impacted ridership). While access to schools isn’t a suburban concern, many people who live within the city utilize the 27 to reach work at The Metroplex and the Plymouth Meeting Mall. The 27 travels to and from the city using Ridge Avenue and I-76. One big concern from their perspective is that children currently utilizing the 27 to access schools in Center City would need to make a transfer if SEPTA moves forward with the proposed changes. When the possible change was announced, a petition was started by residents who live in Manayunk and Roxborough in an effort to save the direct route. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on March 20th that SEPTA has now dropped this proposed change to its revised bus plan.

The other two suburban stops on the route are The Metroplex in Plymouth Meeting and the intersection of Church Lane and Germantown Pike in Lafayette Hill. One change proposed was not providing a direct route between Center City and Plymouth Meeting (the terminus is the Plymouth Meeting Mall) via the 27 bus.

As reported in October, SEPTA is in the process of considering changes to its bus schedule.

Old septa bus