Uber is stepping in to help SEPTA Regional Rail customers contending with major train delays and overcrowding after the transit authority took a third of its fleet out of service over the weekend.
Uber, a transportation-on-demand service that allows users to order a car from anywhere at any time via a smartphone app, said it plans to sink more than $1 million into Philadelphia to help mitigate transit problems related to SEPTA's reduction in service.
SEPTA removed 120 of its newest train cars, Silverliner Vs, over the weekend after discovering that nearly all of the cars had a structural defect that caused cracks in their undercarriages. The deactivation is causing headaches for tens of thousands of commuters in the region, as SEPTA placed trains on a modified Saturday schedule and the packed trains have been forced to pass dozens of stations due to overcrowding.
Uber is expected to share more details about its plan to help SEPTA commuters in the coming days.
