Striking SEPTA workers keep warm by a fire behind the SEPTA depot on Penn St. just behind the Frankford Transportation Center on Nov. 3, 2009. ( Elizabeth Robertson / Staff Photographer )
Well, the point of a strike is to show everyone how much worse off they'd be without your labor.
So, SEPTA commuters, we want to hear your strike stories. Are you driving, and if so, where are you parking and how much does it cost? Are you biking or walking? How does the length and effort of your commute compare?
Feel free to complain, but please also share tips if you've got them.
Also on IOM today: What do you think of the SEPTA union's demands?
Posted by Doron Taussig @ 7:20 AM
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61 comments
My son attends Temple U. and he's now forced to walk 4.5 miles to catch a train, attend school all day, catch a train back to his apartment and then walk another 4.5 miles from the station back to his apartment. As far as I'm concerned, all those striking losers should be immediately fired!!!!
I got a ride to work from my husband, a SEPTA driver from Victory division, he's not on strike, so do not yell about him picketing. I got a ride home from a friend.
I drive to work. I can't count on Septa because of the union. Unions are a thing of the past and a cancer on the workforce of America. Reagan had it right, Privatize!!! People who are without talent or are lazy need unions.
I paid for a garage, since I didn't have enough notice to arrange for anything else. Tomorrow, my employer has arranged rides for those of us affected by the strike. If the strike goes on too long and they reconsider that policy, then I will probably carpool in with neighbors or ride my bike in. I am so annoyed with the union right now that I will gladly do whatever it takes.
Took the train, but have to walk from suburban station to spring garden to get to work. Personally, I hope they fire everyone of these idiots and replace them with people who really want to work. SEPTA may be the worst run, have the most ignorant employees and give the least amount of service than any business in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I rode my bike, same as always. I didn't know there was a strike until I got to work and read philly.com.
I cabbed to 30th Street although I could've walked from 44th. I caught the R5 to Temple, and I can walk to my apartment on Fairmount. No complaints here; then again, I support my fellow laboring sisters and brothers around the world.
Need to get that bike fixed? I like Bicycle Therapy on 2200 South St. They are convenient to CC, SWCC, South Philly, and the Universities on the east side. www.bicycletherapy.com for info on repairs, sales. Oh, and they are having bicycle maintenance workshop just in time for the strike, a sort of how to keep rolling for less.
I took regional rail to suburban station, then walked uptown for 30 minutes. Tearing up my septa pass Friday evening, buying a clunker on Saturday. Here's my tip. Everyone find an alternative to Septa. Put supply and demand to work. Reduce demand, reduce ridership, cause a layoff of 1000s of Septa employees, drive Septa out of business. By a clunker, ride a bike, carpool. Pretend that Septa doesn't exist anymore...ever.
I live in Horsham, so I normally use the 55 bus between Doylestown & Willow Grove. I work in West Philly (56th & Chestnut). My friend drove down from Holland in Bucks County to drive me to Willow Grove R2 station. I got off at 30th st and had a coworker pick me up to go to work at 56th & Chestnut Sts.
I telecommuted from home....sitting in my underwear in front of my laptop drinking great coffee. Technology rocks!!
Walked from my apartment at Broad & Snyder to class at Temple (Broad & Norris). 4 miles, took about 90 minutes, and I missed all but 20 minutes of my first class. My professor then proceeded to laugh in my face when I tried to explain why I was an hour late, and he started babbling about "fair wages," to which I call B.S.
Seems Temple is running Broad St. shuttles, though I didn't see a single one in the 90 minutes I walked up Broad.
PATCO, baby. Nice quiet ride across the bridge into the mess of the city.
Spouse too Regional Rail. Go R5!
Going to use the bike today. Get a bicycle, stick it to the TWU. Bicycle Warehouse, west philly, has cheap used bikes and will show you how to fix them. Need to carry cargo? I hear ya. Try the Philadelphia Cargo Cycle Company www.phillycargocycles.com and there's a great article in Urban Velo Issue #15 Sept. 2009 about Leonard Bonarek, who rides his cargo bike with two huge pit bulls to the park. www.urbanvelo.org to see these three beasts in a very cute photo on one bike.
Bike the Strike!!!
Walked an hour from Center City (13th & Spruce) to University City (42nd & Chester)
Bus driver was kind enough to take me to the R5 Villanova station this morning. R5 in was late and only had two old Pennsy cars but it wasn't overly crowded. Will take the R6 to Norristown then the 100 to get my car. Probably use the R5 or R6 if this drags on for awhile.
"brian stewart DIDN'T GO TO SCHOOL WILL GROW UP TO BE STUPID ALL SEPTAS FAULT" Don't worry about it. You'll be a perfect candidate for a job with SEPTA.
Drove my car....detoured to drive & crash through the SEPTA union picket lines...
I walk to work everyday all year from 9th and Pine to 19th and Market...no change for me today. Get out and enjoy some fresh air and exercise!
I take PATCO. So reliable. I heard the mayor talk about the package they offered Septa. It was worth taking but the choose not to take it. BOYCOTT SEPTA.
I walked. If I didn't do that I would have ridden a bike. I haven't needed SchlEPTA for years. I'll do whatever I have to to avoid getting back on the filthy buses or trains.
I walked 3 miles from S. Philly to Penn to get to work. It was actually rather nice since it was a beautiful morning for some exercise and I was enjoying a favorite album on my iPod. My biggest complaint was nearly being run over by two different reckless bicyclists who were speeding through red lights as I was crossing the street with a green light.
I walked from 11th and Tasker to 40th and Market.
Walked from West Philly to CCP. Took an hour. Sunshine made it okay. The city looked uncharacteristically beautiful from the Spring Garden Bridge at 8am. But jesus do people drive (and bike!) like idiots.
a coworker and i split a cab. we're both super glad we purchased our now useless monthly subway passes yesterday.
Took the normal R5 to Fort Washington and walked the mile to my office. Not a big deal on nice days.
walked, may ride my bike tomorrow, been meaning to try riding my bike to work anyway, this is a good excuse.
Bikes to work as usually, only down size is when it rains. Do the commute from Bridesburg to City Line Ave under 45 mins., taking SEPTA usually one to two hrs.
Didn't know they were on strike until I read the paper on the R7 from Chestnut Hill. Got off at Wayne Junction and walked along Wingohocking and Hunting Park to get to work at Castor/Hunting Park. Tomorrow I'll drive in with wife.
I had to skip a day of work entirely, because R5 in Ardmore did not show for 35 min which meant that I wasn't able to make my Amtrak transfer to get to Lancaster, PA. So as it turns out, Septa doesn't only effect the City but also parts of the state. They shouldn't get a raise, but rather a fine!
Drove 2.5 hours in from SJ, normally takes 45 minutes using PATCO and SEPTA.
Rode my bike. my bike NEVER goes on strike and I never have to fill it up.
After a failed attempt at getting my bike up to snuff (let the air out of my tires instead of in - go figure), I walked in. 3 miles in 40 minites - not bad. My biggest issue with this situation is we didn't have time to find an alternate way to get in. Striking at 3AM was a really immature move.
Got a ride...may bike tomorrow. My work usually has a shuttle from Pattison to the Navy yard, but they are offering to extend it up to Broad/Washington and Broad/Locust for the strike. How nice of them. Are any other employers doing this?
Walked to work.
Will probably walk home.
Took the R7 not looking forward to the commute home...how is that Patco can never strike, SEPTA strikes every 3 years....fire the lot of them!
walked a half hour from fishtown to temple, then caught the regional rail to center city.
Rode my bike like I do most days. That's the beauty of living in the city and owning a bike-I don't have to rely on anyone else to get me where I need to go. Plus, it's great exercise and now there are bike lanes on Pine and spruce so it's easier to get through Center City.
SEPTA workers should feel lucky they have jobs available to them in these economic times. It's a slap in the face to people like me who are educated, unemployed and struggling to get through this mess our country is in. Through no fault of our own!!!!!
I just moved to Bensalem from Oregon and don't have a car or a transpass yet, so that means that even though I have an R7 line a block away from me, I STILL can't go anywhere because during a strike the trains won't accept on-board sales even if there is no ticket office at the station. Great, no way to get anywhere, and no way to get a transpass, so I'll be spending loads of non-productive time watching tv until this nonsese ends. So beautiful what I came home to.
Taking the R8 to Center City, but how long can I do that at almost $5 bucks a pop? (And SEPTA charges extra for people paying on board - even though most stations don't have a ticket booth). Will start biking in after I go broke.
carpooled to work then walking home! It's a nice day, so I don't mind.
The SEPTA union are a bunch of lying scum saying that an agreement is *thisclose* then going on strike in the middle of the night. What a nasty surprise it was going to cath the El and everything being closed up. So I walked the long walk to the R7 and waited with over 100 other people trying to get to work. It was just lovely.
Drove to work from nj to my job in the suburbs. Can't afford to drive to work everyday. But a 45 minute drive is much nicer than a 2 hour commute one way on Septa. Parking is free where i work.
I bike to work even when SEPTA's running normally, but I'd hate to pass up a perfectly good excuse to play hookie...
I took PATCO, they never go on strike!
If you are headed to the burbs in Bucks County, look into the RUSH bus (www.rushbus.org). The service is extremely limited but is a nice option in a county that is extremely difficult to get around with public transit otherwise.
drove to my job in the burbs because thankfully i don't work in the god-forsaken city anymore.
My friend drove me into work, but at 8 months pregnant I am going to have to walk three miles home tonight. I guess when you make as much as they do, you can afford not to go to work.
I rode my bikr from Roxborough. It was a beautiful day for a bike ride!
Rode my bike 8 miles across the city, as I always do.
The 6:50 R6 at Wissahickon had plenty of room. I may walk home from Center City tonight. Any of you Wissahickon or East Falls residents want to start a walk-up-Kelly-Drive campaign?
Walked from my home on 6th and Bainbridge to Market East station and took the regional rail to Temple's campus. If it rains this week I'll be extra angry.
rode my bike...if it was raining this week I'd be really mad though.
Can't even leave Levittown to get to a Regional Rail! It's 4 miles of the most unfriendly pedestrian condidtions. And even if I could get to the Regional Rail and get down to Bridesburg and walk another 4 miles (give or take) to get to my job, it's not worth comprimising my personal safety!
biked...locked my bike up at the base of my building...who raaah!
Took the R5 in from the Main Line. The train had only 2 cars (normally has 4) and it was standing room only. Had to skip the last two stops because there was no room for anyone else. Dreading the evening commute. Might take Amtrak and backtrack. Parking is too expensive around me ($25 per day) to drive.
DIDN'T GO TO SCHOOL WILL GROW UP TO BE STUPID ALL SEPTAS FAULT
drove :-( $9.50 to park near 18th and Cherry Sts.
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