In Philly, PATCO sees gains from SEPTA strike

PHILADELPHIA ÊAs motorists battled with pedestrians and bicyclists alike on the streets here in the midst of this latest SEPTA strike, New Jersey-based mass transit found itself with intriguing shifts in ridership during the labor impasse.

Naturally, PATCO's High Speed Line hasn't experienced an increase in ridership between stations across the Delaware River and the city. However, officials with the Delaware River Port Authority, which oversees the line, are saying more and more passengers are getting on in Philadelphia and hitting other stops within the city limits.

"We always do pick up a lot of intra-city traffic when there's a strike," DRPA spokesman Ed Kasuba said. "Riders find it convenient to move through the system to 8th and Market or to 15th and Locust to move to Society Hill or West Market Street area."

Numbers from PATCO show that fewer people were getting off at 8th and Market and presumably transferring to the Market Frankford Line. Monday before the strike, 5,400 people ended their rides there. Compare that to Wednesday's 4,200 people and there's a drop off of about 1,200 riders.

However, it also appears as though the line is having more people getting on at the 16th and Locust stop and then ride to 8th and Market, close to SEPTA's Regional Rail line.

On Monday 6,576 people got on at the line's western end at 16th and Locust. Then Wednesday that number rose to 8,111.

"What we're seeing is while total ridership remaining about the same, we're losing people on line who get off at 8th and Market."

NJ Transit spokeswoman Courtney Carroll said 13 bus lines serve stops along 6th, Market, Broad and Vine streets in Philadelphia. Additionally, four NJ Transit lines operate to and from the Greyhound Bus terminal at 10th and Filbert streets.

She didn't have solid numbers on ridership for the week.

Last Saturday, both SEPTA and the Transport Union Workers Local 234 agreed to continue contract negotiations without a threat of a work stoppage.

Talks involving Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter stalled again Friday afternoon.

During the course of the strike, getting around downtown on SEPTA has been next to impossible. Service was discontinued on the Market-Frankford and Broad Street/Broad-Ridge Spur lines, as well as all city transit buses, trolleys and trackless trolleys.

SEPTA's Frontier Division buses into Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, aren't operating either.

Still running during talks were SEPTA's Regional Rail Service, the Suburban Transit Division which includes bus, trolley and the Norristown High Speed Line, the LUCY loop through University City and CCT Connect-transport service for ADA and Shared Ride customers.

During peak hours on afternoon and evening trains, riders were asked to wait in line on the concourse level of five Regional Rail stations to deal with increased ridership.

They also have been required to purchase tickets before boarding.

Kasuba noted morning backups on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge headed into Philadelphia have been exacerbated by an increased number of cars in the city. Once off the bridge, motorists in the Vine Street area have had to contend with people trying to get deeper into town.