Ever wonder why SEPTA just sucks? Well, read this article to get Klaudia’s personal review of why the Philly Regional Rail and Bus System don’t make any sense.
Ok, let’s cut right to the chase … what the FUCK is the SEPTA Regional Rail??? As a native Philadelphian, I feel like I have every right to drag the hell out of this system, as it has been the bane of my existence for forever. We all know that every railway system has their own faults and perks, but there is a passionate hatred for this specific labyrinth:
Just looking at this map makes my brain take one step closer to an aneurysm. I get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of names, colors, and patterns that are supposed to be easy “services at a glance.” Thankfully, SEPTA has changed the names of each rail line from letter/number/color to their actual destination/terminal area, but some of the maps on the trains haven’t been updated for years.
Sure, I am not a constant user of the railway system, but anytime I decide to take the train, I have to check Google Maps every 2 minutes to make sure I am actually going the right way. After accidentally taking the wrong train one time and adding an hour to my trip, I have been paranoid and have lost any trust I have in myself to get to the right destination. What makes the confusion worse is the fact that my phone always loses signal in the times I need it the most due to the lack of wifi in the regional rail tunnels. And once you get into city territory, the smell is unimaginable. There is trash everywhere, and the trains feel like a hazardous mixing pot of unknown substances. Any time I get back home after using the public transportation, I immediately throw everything in the laundry and hope I didn’t sit in or touch something that could infect me with a new strand of Covid.
The railway is a royal pain, but the bus system makes me want to crawl in a hole and cry for help. Thankfully, SEPTA has an app that shows you where the buses are (going), but all of these numbers and abbreviations do not help my already scattered brain. I can barely remember the name of some of my classmates and peers, and now I am expected to memorize the names/numbers and direction in which they go in order to get to my desired destination?
Also, what is with these fuck-ass SEPTA keys? Why do these gift card equivalent pieces of plastic cause so many problems? Loading money on the card feels so sketchy, especially when the app feels like it’s going to spam me with phishing emails if I do. I forgot to load some money onto my card one time, so I had to pay for the ticket with Apple Pay … WHY WAS THE TICKET SUDDENLY SO EXPENSIVE?!?!?!?! And don’t even get me started when they run out of tickets on the train and then tell you that you have to buy one at the station once you arrive. The whole point of the system was to make it easier to travel, but it really feels like everything got even worse than what it was like before.
After reading an article about the infamous key card on The Philadelphia Inquirer, I am happy to report that SEPTA is looking into improving the system. However, it was stated in the article that “riders shouldn’t expect to see changes before 2025” and it would take around 4 years to integrate a new system. So just like all of the potholes and highway repairs in Philly, these are very loose terms that could really mean we’re stuck with this fustercluck for eternity.
