What to Know
- SEPTA riders should expect delays as employees undergo safety reinforcement training after several recent crashes in Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs.
- The eight-week training, which began on Monday, Aug. 14, is emphasizing safety guidelines that are currently in place and provide employees with a forum for feedback, officials said. Every SEPTA employee will spend a full day in the mandatory training.
- There have been at least eight crashes involving SEPTA vehicles in the Philadelphia area and surrounding suburbs within the past month or so.
SEPTA employees are undergoing safety reinforcement training this week following several recent accidents in the Philadelphia area and surrounding suburbs involving their vehicles.
The eight-week training, which began on Monday, Aug. 14, will emphasize safety guidelines that are currently in place and provide employees with a forum for feedback, officials said. Every SEPTA employee will spend a full day in the mandatory training.
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While SEPTA said they will work to minimize any service disruptions, customers should still expect delays during the training as employees will be pulled from their regular duties.
“The safety for our customers and employees is always our top priority, and we are redoubling our efforts to be even more intentional about safety in everything that we do, at all levels of the Authority,” SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie S. Richards said. “The recent series of accidents has caused us to look internally with a critical eye to ensure we embrace safety as a core value every day.”
Check SEPTA’s website for the latest updates. You can also contact customer service representatives at 215-580-7800.
Previous SEPTA crashes
There have been at least eight crashes involving SEPTA vehicles in the Philadelphia area and surrounding suburbs within the past month.
On July 27, an out-of-service SEPTA trolley crashed into a historic home in Southwest Philadelphia.
On July 25, a driver was injured after a SEPTA bus jumped a curb and struck a wall in Center City.
On July 24, seven people were hurt after two SEPTA trolleys collided in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.
On July 23, a SEPTA bus crashed into a pole in Philadelphia, injuring four people.
A SEPTA spokesperson told NBC10 33 collisions involving their vehicles were reported between 2020 and 2022. Passengers were hurt in five of those 33 crashes.
However, between January 1, 2023, and July 25, 2023, alone there were eight crashes involving SEPTA vehicles, according to the spokesperson.
