Montco Commuters will soon see seat availability on SEPTA vehicles with SEPTA’s new Estimated Seat Availability Dashboard, writes Hannah Kanik for the Philly Voice.

The dashboard runs on the transit authority’s website. Riders now can get seat information on most bus routes. It will expand to cover all SEPTA’s modes of travel in the future.

That includes the Market-Frankford and Broad Street Lines, the Norristown High-Speed Line, Regional Rail
and Trolleys.

“For the first time ever, SEPTA customers can get a virtual look inside of their bus while they are planning a trip with the Estimated Seat Availability Dashboard,” said SEPTA General Manager Leslie S. Richards. “SEPTA is committed to enhancing the interactive tools available for customers, and today’s launch is a major step forward.”

Seating estimates are based on ridership information that SEPTA collects from sources like the Automatic Passenger Counters. SEPTA personnel and traffic checkers also provide ridership data.

SEPTA is continually monitoring ridership so that customers have seating estimates based on the most
recent data available.

Riders will see each of the stops on their trip marked as one of the three categories: Many Seats Available, Expect that you can easily find a seat; Some Seats Available: Expect that you may have to search for a seat, and Standing Room Only: Expect that all seats are taken.

A gray marker that says “No estimate” will mark rides where no estimates are available.

Read more about SEPTA in the Philly Voice.

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