Mass Transit 101: How do I get around the Philadelphia area using public transportation?

Here's one way to get from Camden to Philadelphia without a car and take in a great
view to boot. Another way is to ride the PATCO Speedline, which runs below this 
sidewalk. Photo: Kevin Burkett (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Is it possible to get anywhere you want to go in the Greater Philadelphia region without a car?

Not quite. But you can get to just about anywhere you want to go in the city of Philadelphia, and to a surprisingly large portion of the rest of the metropolitan region, using the five main mass transit systems that operate in the three-state Greater Philadelphia/Wilmington region.

This article introduces you to each of the systems and the services they operate. Other articles will describe each system in more detail and provide information about fares, tips for riding, where to get more information, and even a little history and fun facts.

SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line, familiarly known as the "El," is the region's busiest
transit route, carrying around 250,000 riders daily. Photo: Brian Weinberg

The most important mass transit system in the region is the one operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA. SEPTA's service area encompasses the five metropolitan counties of Southeastern Pennsylvania: Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia, a 2,200-square-mile region that is home to 3.9 million people. The nation's fifth-largest mass transit system, SEPTA is also one of only two in the country (the other is Boston's MBTA) that operates five modes of mass transit - bus, rapid transit subway, light rail, trackless trolley (trolleybus), and regional (commuter) high-speed rail, plus paratransit service for disabled riders. Each year, Philadelphians and visitors take 325 million trips on the SEPTA system.

The NJ Transit River Line, which runs from Trenton to Camden, is the newest rail
transit line in the Philadelphia region. Photo: Brian Weinberg

Two transit operators provide service that connects Philadelphia with places in Southern New Jersey (Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Mercer and Salem counties). New Jersey Transit Corporation (NJ TRANSIT or NJT), New Jersey's statewide mass transit system and the nation's third largest, provides the bulk of the service - the Atlantic City Rail Line between Philadelphia's 30th Street Station and the seaside gambling Mecca, the Trenton-Camden River Line light rail line, a network of bus routes providing local service in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Mercer counties and express buses from Philadelphia to shore points in Atlantic and Cape May counties, where riders can transfer to NJT local buses. Travelers between New York City and Philadelphia also find the combination of NJT's Northeast Corridor Line and SEPTA's R7 Trenton regional rail lines an affordable alternative to Amtrak. Many NJT local bus routes in South Jersey and all the express services to the Jersey Shore operate into Center City Philadelphia, terminating either at the Greyhound Bus Terminal at 10th and Filbert streets or in a loop via Sixth, Market, Broad and Vine streets, where connections may be made to SEPTA services.

The Delaware River Port Authority's PATCO Speedline offers a fast, comfortable trip
between South Jersey suburbs and Philadelphia. Photo: Brian Weinberg

The other South Jersey transit operator is the Port Authority Transit Corporation (PATCO), the mass transit subsidiary of the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA). PATCO operates the Lindenwold High-Speed Line, which connects Center City Philadelphia with Camden, Collingswood, Haddon Township, Haddonfield, Cherry Hill, Voorhees, and Lindenwold via the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Opened in 1969 and celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the PATCO "Speedline" is the oldest of the modern automated rapid transit systems that opened in several American cities between 1969 and 1992. About 38,000 passengers a day ride the 14-mile line - the only high-speed rail line in the region to operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week - from South Jersey to Philadelphia and vice versa. NJT local buses connect with PATCO at most New Jersey stations; the main hub for South Jersey mass transit is the Walter Rand Transportation Center in downtown Camden, located atop PATCO's Broadway station. PATCO riders can transfer to SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line at 8th and Market station and to the Broad Street Line's Walnut-Locust station from either 12th-13th or 15th-16th and Locust stations.

Mass transit in Delaware is operated by the Delaware Transit Corporation (DART First State), a division of the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT). DART operates a network of local bus routes that serve just about all of the major cities, towns and activity centers in northern New Castle County six days a week, with selected routes operating on Sundays as well. DART contracts with SEPTA to operate the R2 Regional Rail line across northern Delaware, with stops in Claymont, Wilmington, Churchmans Crossing and Newark; this six-day-a-week service makes Wilmington (pop. 75,000) the smallest US city with commuter rail service. DART also operates an express bus route between Wilmington and Dover, the state capital, connecting with DART local service in Dover and express service to Georgetown and the Delaware Coast. SEPTA and DART bus services also connect at the Tri-State Mall in Claymont and the Brandywine Town Center in Brandywine Hundred.

Finally, there is Pottstown Area Rapid Transit (PART), which operates local bus service in Pottstown and vicinity in upper Montgomery County. PART, a private company, operates a network of five bus routes for the Borough of Pottstown, which owns and funds the system. SEPTA Bus Route 93 (Norristown Transportation Center to Pottstown) connects with the PART system in downtown Pottstown.

Visiting Philadelphia and bringing a car with you? Check out these tips for navigating Greater Philadelphia's roads from the Philadelphia Classic Car Examiner, Stephen Roedel.