SEPTA Public Transit Ridership Statistics for Philadelphia

Philadelphia's SEPTA transit system provides average daily ridership data at the stop level. The bus data covers average daily fall ridership from 2014 to the present, while trolley data is generated using automatic passenger counters. Some data excludes 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 impacts.

Use Cases

• Analyze average daily ridership trends at the stop level to identify high-demand transit corridors.
• Compare trolley ridership data from automatic passenger counters with bus ridership data from varied sources.
• Model the impact of external events, like the 2020 malware attack, on ridership by examining data gaps for specific periods and vehicle types.
• Assess changes in weekend bus ridership patterns before and after 2017 when more widespread APC coverage became available.

Strengths

• Bus ridership data provides a multi-year time series from 2014 to the present.
• Trolley data is sourced from automatic passenger counters, a direct measurement method.
• Data is available in multiple geospatial formats (SHP, GEOJSON) for mapping and spatial analysis.

Limitations

• No bus data is available for Fall 2020 due to a malware attack, creating a significant gap.
• Accurate weekend bus data was not available until 2017, limiting historical weekend trend analysis.
• APC bus data was unavailable for articulated vehicles and the Boulevard Direct from August 2020 through February 2022.

Provenance

Source

City of Philadelphia

Collection Method

Trolley data from automatic passenger counters; bus data calculated from a variety of sources depending on route and year.

Time Range

Bus data from 2014 to present; specific years (2020, 2021) may be excluded due to COVID-19.

Freshness

Last updated on October 20, 2025.

Geography

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (SEPTA service area).