SEPTA Attempts to Modernize With Much Needed App Update
The South Eastern Pennsylvania Transit Association launched their first application update since 2013 on Nov. 15 that features a new design, enhanced tracking features, and customizable transit routes.
The most notable app changes to app are the interactive maps and updated “Real Time Vehicle Locator” technology that are featured when users look up any train, subway, bus, or trolley line.
“With location updates for Regional Rail trains, about every 30 seconds, the app will deliver the most current information about scheduled service and in-service delays,” read the SEPTA press release.
The app also features an updated “TrainView,” which allows users to better track Regional Rail trains and be alerted of schedule changes and delays. Users will receive location updates every 30 seconds, a feature that is also available on SEPTA’s website.
According to the press release, SEPTA is currently working on a “TransitView” which will track the city’s comprehensive bus system.
Slippery rail season, which refers to the treacherous residue left on train tracks by falling leaves, befell Philly riders this fall, increasing the frequency and magnitude of transit delays. The updated tracking and alert features on the new app have come during just the right time.
The update also allows users to favorite specific routes so they do not have to punch in their transit system, location and destination every time they want to look up schedule times. Although the old app allowed users to save certain routes, the new app makes them much more accessible with a tab located at the bottom of the page.
Although many of the functions are still the same, SEPTA has completely redone the app’s outdated layout and design. Users no longer have to choose a specific transit system when they first open the app but instead use the tabs “Next-to-Arrive,” “Favorites,” “Alerts,” and “Schedules,” that run along the bottom of the app to navigate various features.
“I really like the layout, the app was already pretty easy to navigate but it’s much more aesthetically pleasing now,” said Simone Chatham, a sophomore at Chestnut Hill College. “So far the update seems great, the app has been in need of a reboot for a long time.”
Although students and staff at Chestnut Hill College have access to school provided shuttles, many people depend on SEPTA when they are traveling outside of Chestnut Hill.
“I use the SEPTA app everyday to check to see if my morning train is on time or just to check when the next train is,” said Chatham, who lives off-campus. “I also use it for the buses occasionally. Since I’m a commuter it’s really important that the app be accurate because it can be the difference between me being late and making it to class on time.”
“It’s better than the old one,” said Ryan Morrissey, a senior at Chestnut Hill College, about the new app. “I use the app to find trains whenever I go somewhere. The new app is easier to navigate, shows how late a train is and lets you save your favorite routes so you don’t have to look them up every time.”
However, Morrissey states he wishes the app allowed riders to purchase train tickets digitally. Train fare must either be paid in cash on the train, through monthly or week trail passes, or purchased at a Regional Rail station, which are notorious for having very few hours. For someone with an unpredictable schedule, paying train fare can get tricky.
However, for some SEPTA users, the new app still doesn’t quite cut it.
“It seems overly complicated,” said Teige Dougherty, who uses SEPTA once or twice a week to get to his classes at Community College of Philadelphia. “I had an app that was like a third party app that wasn’t from SEPTA and I really liked it and it was really simple. This one is much more complicated to get to the things I want to use on a daily basis.”
Dougherty’s main complaint was that the bus stop locations are in alphabetical order, not the order of the bus route. In order to get bus arrival times, you have to scroll through every bus stop to find both your starting stop and your ending stop. When the average bus route has over 100 stops, some SEPTA riders complain that scrolling through each stop can be cumbersome and inefficient.
“There’s no reason for this to be alphabetical when you’re looking for a specific stop,” said Dougherty. “It just makes it slower to find the stop that you’re looking for. I wound up taking an Uber the other day because I couldn’t find the exact stop and I just wanted to get home.”
The application update was part of SEPTA’s $727.2 million “Rebuilding the System” budget proposal for the next 12 years which was announced at the beginning of the year. The initiative calls for major infrastructural overhauls, including new buses, train cars, and improvements to SEPTA stations.
The proposal is also directing a large part of its budget to fully implement the SEPTA Key Card which allows riders to digitally upload their fare to cards that they can swap or tap on buses, subways, and trolleys.
Although the new app and other proposed programs are modernizing the Philly transit experience, SEPTA is still frequently criticized for being outdated and badly coordinated.
Despite being the sixth largest transit system in the United States, it still has antiquated features such as metal fare tokens, a system that was abandoned by most other cities more than a decade ago.
SEPTA’s new app is just a small step towards 21st century efficiency.
