The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is introducing social distancing coaches to help promote mask-wearing compliance and social distancing.
Beginning Aug. 4 through Aug. 27, social distancing coaches will be positioned at key locations throughout the SEPTA system. There will be one to two coaches per location to answer questions. This new program is an extension of SEPTA's ambassador program, which was designed to introduce customers to the SEPTA Key fare payment system.
"The coaches are there on behalf of SEPTA to thank our customers for riding the system and wearing masks, so we're focusing on the positives first and foremost," said Kim Scott Heinle, SEPTA's assistant general manager for customer experience and advocacy. "We want riders to know that we're doing everything we can to stop the spread and that their safety is paramount."
The first locations for the coaches will be on the Market-Frankford Line at 69th Street Transportation Center, Frankford Transportation Center, and 15th St. Station in Center City. The coaches will be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Other locations in subsequent weeks will include the Broad Street Line at Fern Rock, City Hall, Snyder Stations, as well as Regional Rail hubs at Suburban Station, Jefferson Station and 30th Street Station, followed by outlying suburban regional rail stations.
Information from a recent online survey on SEPTA.org showed that mask compliance was highest on regional rail at 96 percent, with compliance on city buses a close second at 95 percent. The lowest was on the Market-Frankford Line at 63 percent.
