SEPTA: Restore Late Night service on the MFL & BSL for Essential Workers

SEPTA Board of Directors: Chairman Pasquale T. Deon, Sr.; Vice Chairman Kenneth Lawrence, Jr.; Thomas E. Babcock; Joseph E. Brion, Esq.; Michael A. Carroll, P.E.; Mark H. Dambly; Robert D. Fox, Esq.; Stewart J. Greenleaf, Esq.; Kevin L. Johnson, P.E.; Joh

On Monday, March 30th, SEPTA suspended all night service on the Market-Frankford Subway-Elevated & Broad Street Subway Lines between the hours of 1am and 4:30am to allow for extra cleaning of rail stations and cars. However, they’ve also stated they will not operate Nite Owl shuttle bus service for these lines, which leaves many essential service workers without transportation.

We applaud that SEPTA for allowing cleaning crews extra time to complete this essential work. We appreciate that SEPTA had contacted medical facilities beforehand to verify this service suspension wouldn't conflict with shift changes. However this change will still affect essential personnel in the custodial, transportation, home health care, shipping, and food industries. By suspending this service SEPTA is telling essential workers “thank you for keeping our society going, but good luck getting home”.

To: SEPTA Board of Directors: Chairman Pasquale T. Deon, Sr.; Vice Chairman Kenneth Lawrence, Jr.; Thomas E. Babcock; Joseph E. Brion, Esq.; Michael A. Carroll, P.E.; Mark H. Dambly; Robert D. Fox, Esq.; Stewart J. Greenleaf, Esq.; Kevin L. Johnson, P.E.; Joh
From: [Your Name]

Essential workers are 36% of total transit commuters in the US. Eliminating late night service along the MFL and BSL– two of the most heavily used lines in the SEPTA system– prevents essential workers from getting to essential jobs and services that keep our city going. To allow these workers to maintain social distancing, we should be providing more transit service for essential workers in the custodial, transportation, home health care, shipping, and food industries; not less.

We can not ask essential workers to pay more out of pocket for private transportation because of the state government’s failure to properly fund a transit system. We can not ask essential workers to sleep over at their jobs because our transit system claims it can not afford to get them home.

Please run Nite Owl shuttle service along the Market-Frankford and Broad Street Lines and provide all operators with personal protective equipment.