Some SEPTA routes will have new names beginning later this month, as the transportation authority makes moves to ease riders' experiences finding and using its buses and trains.
Starting Monday, Feb. 24, six of SEPTA's seven lettered bus routes will transition to numeric designations. SEPTA "Metro" lines — an umbrella term introduced last year for several subway, elevated train and trolley lines — will also formally adopt new letter-based names beginning that week, the authority said Monday.
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Changes to bus route designations are as follows:
• G will change to 63
• H will change to 71
• J will change to 41
• L will change to 51
• R will change to 82
• XH will change to 81
The seventh lettered bus route, Route K, will transition to a number at a later date as part of future route changes, SEPTA said.
SEPTA historically operated many more lettered bus routes, which were phased into numbers over time for "greater consistency," the release said. The few lettered bus routes left sometimes create confusion for riders, SEPTA said, and the shift to numbered bus routes creates a "more intuitive and accessible network."
Easy as 1⃣2⃣3⃣! Six #SEPTA bus routes are changing from letters to numbers: https://t.co/EHq56jIvgT! #ISEPTAPHILLY #HowWeRoll pic.twitter.com/x633go7EW8
— ISEPTAPHILLY (@SEPTAPHILLY) February 3, 2025
These updates are part of SEPTA's Better Bus Initiative, which includes making the bus network more frequent and more reliable, and introducing better service on nights and weekends.
The bus route designation changes are happening alongside SEPTA's Metro projects, which include swapping out rail service names for letters, to make the system more "intuitive," according to SEPTA. The Metro network includes the Market-Frankford Line; Broad Street Line; Norristown High Speed Line; Subway-Surface trolley routes 10, 11, 13, 34, 36; trolley route 15; and Media-Sharon Hill Line routes 101 and 102.
The Metro lines have been rebranded as follows:
• Market-Frankford Line will change to L
• Broad Street Line will change to B
• Subway-Surface Trolleys will change to T
• Route 15 Trolley will change to G
• Media-Sharon Hill Line will change to D
• Norristown High Speed Line will change to M
The letters chosen for each system correspond to either the name of the line or service, its nickname or some geographic areas where it travels. For instance, "B" stands for Broad Street Line, and "L" is reminiscent of Market-Frankford Line's common nickname, "the El." Each letter also has its own corresponding color, to make signage easy for riders to spot and differentiate.
"Our goal is to make these vital lines accessible and easy-to-use no matter who you are, what language you speak, or how well you know SEPTA," SEPTA's website said.
Signage will display both the old and new route names for the buses and Metro lines for several months to help ease riders into the transition.
