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Strike leaves a slight sag in SEPTA ridership
Most SEPTA riders have returned since the end of the six-day strike - but not all.
Ridership on city buses, subways, and trolleys remains about 4 percent below pre-strike levels, according to a SEPTA analysis.
As train commuters discovered, ridership on Regional Rail jumped during the strike. Average weekday rail ridership increased by 42,000 - about 36 percent - during that time.
Riders on the City Transit Division are gradually returning, SEPTA officials said, adding that they expect ridership to be back to pre-strike levels by the end of the month.
Even before the strike, though, ridership was down about 5 percent from a year earlier, a drop that SEPTA blames on the economy.
About 5,100 vehicle operators, mechanics, and other workers went on strike Nov. 3 and returned to work Nov. 9. City Transit buses, subways, and trolleys, which normally provide about 900,000 rides each weekday, were idled, while Regional Rail trains and many suburban transit operations continued to run.
On Nov. 16, City Transit ridership remained off by 6.2 percent, according to SEPTA's analysis. By the end of the week, the decline was 4.4 percent.
The analysis was based on data sampled both before and after the strike, said Jerri Williams, chief press officer for SEPTA.
SEPTA watches ridership closely, because riders are money. Fares cover about 40 percent of SEPTA's operating costs, with the rest coming from state, local, and federal subsidies.
With ridership down from recent record highs, passenger revenue was 5 percent below budgeted expectations before the strike. For the first three months of the fiscal year, through September, that has left a $5 million gap in SEPTA's operating budget.
Contact staff writer Paul Nussbaum at 215-854-4587 or pnussbaum@phillynews.com.
