SEPTA extending trial of late night weekend service on El and Broad Street Line

SEPTA is extending weekend night owl service on the Market Frankford and Broad Street lines past Labor Day. The initial experiment has been popular if not profitable.

SEPTA spokesman Manuel Smith says the plan is to extend the weekend late night service until November 2 to see how things change after the summer season ends and people return to their normal routines.

“What we wanted to be able to do is take a look at when college students come back in the fall and other riders who may have been on vacation or out of town return to their normal routines,” Smith said. 

Smith says SEPTA will study how many people who do not have transpasses decide to ride the subways on weekend nights.

“What we’d like to be able to see are some new rider who have not had a chance to use that service Additionally if there are new riders that come into the system it helps us offest some of the costs associated with the pilot program,” he said.

SEPTA officials say ridership is up on the lines by about 50 percent compared to late night bus service that had been in place.