As MoreThanTheCurve.com reported earlier this month, SEPTA is considering making changes to its bus schedule. One such change is not providing a direct route between Center City and Plymouth Meeting (the terminus is the Plymouth Meeting Mall). The other two suburban stops on the route are The Metroplex in Lafayette Hill and the intersection of Church Lane and Germantown Pike in Lafayette Hill.

The 27 travels to and from the city using Ridge Avenue. A petition has been started by residents who live in Manayunk and Roxborough in an effort to save the direct route. One big concern from their perspective is that children that currently use the 27 to access schools in Center City would need to make a transfer if SEPTA moves forward with the proposed changes.

While access to schools isn’t a suburban concern, many people who live within the city utilize the 27 to reach work at The Metroplex and the Plymouth Meeting Mall. Removing direct service to these areas could impact the length of time necessary to travel to and from work.

According to SEPTA, the 27’s route is 19.5 miles and in 2018 carried 4,390 riders on a typical workday (the pandemic impacted ridership). The route was established in 1984 and extended to the Plymouth Meeting Mall in 1989 (the previous terminus was in Lafayette Hill).

You can find SEPTA’s draft plan here.

You can find the petition here.

Photo: Bus and schedule from SEPTA