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Route 79
Overview
System	Southern District
Operator	SEPTA City Transit Division
Began service	1912 (1912) (trolleys) 1956 (1956) (bus service) 1961 (1961) (trackless trolleys) 2003 (2003) (bus service)
Route
Locale	Philadelphia
Communities served	South Philadelphia, Point Breeze
Start	29th & Snyder Streets
Via	Snyder Avenue
End	Columbus Commons
Length	3.0 mi (4.8 km)
Service
Ridership	5,066 (2019 weekday average)
Annual patronage	1,519,800 (FY2019)
Timetable	Route 79 schedule
Route map 29th Street 20th Street (17 to 20th & Johnston) 19th Street (17 to Penn's Landing) Broad Street 12th Street (45 to Broad & Oregon) 11th Street (45 to 11th & Noble) 8th Street (47 to Whitman Plaza) 7th Street (47 to 5th & Godfrey) Columbus Boulevard Legend Bus/trolley services Subway/rail services Map only shows major stops and high-frequency route connections. This diagram: view talk edit ← 78  City Transit Division  80 →

Route 79 is a former trackless trolley and current bus route, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The line runs between the Point Breeze neighborhood and the vicinity of Pier 70 along the Delaware River. Trackless trolleys replaced buses in 1961 but were suspended in 2003, and the authority later decided against restoring trackless trolley service. Trolley cars had previously served Route 79 from 1912 until 1956.

Route description

The line begins at 29th Street and Snyder Avenue, and then heads east along Snyder Avenue. At 25th Street, a viaduct above the street and the line is for a former Pennsylvania Railroad rail spur designed to serve neighborhood industries. Major intersections along this line include 22nd Street, Passyunk Avenue, and Broad Street, where commuters can connect to Snyder station on the Broad Street Line, along with a RiteChoice Pharmacy, which serves as an auxiliary bus stop for Greyhound and other intercity buses. The next major crossings are at 12th and 11th Streets which carry the southbound and northbound segments of Route 45, originally the southern portion of Route 23.

Just east of Front Street and under I-95, Route 79 runs through Snyder Plaza. Besides the former Route 29 trolley bus, other connections to Route 79 in this area include SEPTA bus routes 7, 25, 64. Eastbound buses turn north on Dilworth Street until they reach Columbus Boulevard, near Pier 70. The route then turns down Columbus Boulevard until it reaches Snyder Street and head west again before passing by another shopping center known as Columbus Commons.

All buses are ADA-compliant, and contain bicycle racks. Overnight "Night Owl" service is available.

History

Along with SEPTA Routes 59, 66, 75 and 29, the Route 79 trolley bus was replaced with diesel bus service in 2003. The last trolley buses ran on June 30, 2003. At the time, this was the last remaining trolley bus service in Philadelphia. Route 29 had been converted to diesel buses in February, and Routes 59, 66 and 75 had already been temporarily operated by diesel vehicles since June 8, 2002, and the 2003 cessation of trolley bus service was expected to be permanent. However, in early 2004 SEPTA began to consider reinstating trolley bus service at Frankford Division after the authority was informed that it would be required to repay some FTA funds used in the 2002–2006 renovation of that garage (including renewal of the yard wires) if trolley bus service did not resume.

Ultimately, trolley bus service on Routes 59, 66 and 75 was restored in 2008, with new trolley buses. A proposal to restore trolley bus service along Route 79 (along with 29) was considered by SEPTA in 2006, after the authority had placed an order for 38 new trolley buses for the three reinstated routes. However, in October 2006 the SEPTA board voted against any further consideration of purchasing new trolley buses to allow Routes 29 or 79 to be restored, a decision that effectively eliminated the possibility that trolley bus service might return to either of the two routes.

As part of a pilot program, in 2016 SEPTA placed an order for 25 new battery electric buses from Proterra, Inc. They, along with two overhead charging stations, were purchased using a $2.6-million Federal Transit Administration grant, entering service on routes 29 and 79 in 2017, returning electric propulsion to these routes after nearly 15 years of diesel operation. However, the buses were pulled from service in February 2020 following the discovery of cracks in the bus frames. Combined with a battery fire involving one of these buses at a SEPTA depot and the bankruptcy of Proterra, Inc., this has led to the expectation that the buses will not return to service.

On March 23, 2023, SEPTA released a new draft plan for Bus Revolution, SEPTA's bus network redesign. As part of the plan, Route 79 would be extended to 40th Street station via University Avenue to provide better connections from South Philadelphia to University City, West Philadelphia, and the Market-Frankford Line. The line would also be extended on its eastern end to shopping at Pier 70. These changes remained in the final plan, which was approved on May 23, 2024.

See also

• Trolleybuses in Philadelphia

References

1. ^ "SEPTA Route Statistics 2018" (PDF). SEPTA. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
2. ^ Springirth, Kenneth C. (2008). Southeastern Pennsylvania Trolleys, pp. 10 and 115. Charleston, SC (US): Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-5692-5.
3. "Route of the Week - 79". iseptaphilly.com. Retrieved 2019-02-27.
4. ^ Trolleybus Magazine No. 252 (November–December 2003), p. 138. National Trolleybus Association (UK). ISSN 0266-7452.
5. Trolleybus Magazine No. 251 (September–October 2003), p. 119.
6. Trolleybus Magazine No. 249 (May–June 2003), p. 70.
7. Trolleybus Magazine No. 255 (May–June 2004), p. 74. National Trolleybus Association (UK). ISSN 0266-7452
8. Trolleybus Magazine No. 280 (July–August 2008), p. 95. National Trolleybus Association (UK). ISSN 0266-7452.
9. "Trolleynews" (news section) Trolleybus Magazine No. 271 (January–February 2007), p. 23. ISSN 0266-7452. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
10. Laughlin, Jason (2016-04-20). "SEPTA to add 25 electric buses next year". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
11. Smith, Sandy (2016-07-29). "SEPTA Shows Off Quiet New Electric Bus to Public". Philadelphia Magazine. Retrieved 2017-11-30.
12. Briggs, Ryan (July 15, 2021). "SEPTA's cracking battery buses raise questions about the future of electric transit". WHYY. PBS. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
13. Fitzgerald, Thomas (September 6, 2023). "SEPTA may lose the $24 million it spent on electric battery buses". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
14. "Recommended Route Changes" (PDF). SEPTA Bus Revolution. SEPTA. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
15. Sharber, Cory. "SEPTA's board of directors approves Bus Revolution, set to go into effect next summer". WHYY. Retrieved June 17, 2024.

External links

• SEPTA Route 79 (Official Map and Schedule)
• Photos of SEPTA Route 79 Trackless Trolleys

v t e  SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority)
Metro	Lines Current  Market–Frankford Line  Broad Street Line  Subway–Surface Trolleys  Route 10  Route 34  Route 13  Route 11  Route 36  Route 15 Trolley  Media–Sharon Hill Line  Norristown High Speed Line Former Trolley routes 6 23 50 53 56 60 Proposed Roosevelt Boulevard Subway Stations Proposed List of stations Major stations 69th Street T.C. Darby T.C. Drexel Station at 30th Street Fern Rock T.C. Frankford T.C. Norristown T.C. Olney T.C. Equipment Proposed Kawasaki Type K LRV SEPTA PCC III B-4 M-4 N-5
Regional Rail	Lines Current      Airport Line      Chestnut Hill East Line      Chestnut Hill West Line      Cynwyd Line      Fox Chase Line      Glenside Combined      Lansdale/​Doylestown Line      Manayunk/​Norristown Line      Media/Wawa Line      Paoli/​Thorndale Line      Trenton Line      Warminster Line      West Trenton Line      Wilmington/​Newark Line Former Bethlehem Line Cynwyd-Ivy Ridge service Elwyn-West Chester service Fox Chase-Newtown service Pottsville Line Thorndale-Parkesburg service Proposed Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Stations Proposed List of current stations List of former stations Major stations 30th Street Suburban Jefferson Temple University Equipment Current Siemens ACS-64 Comet Silverliner Silverliner IV Silverliner V  Former ABB ALP-44 EMD AEM-7 Silverliner Silverliner I Silverliner II Silverliner III
Buses and trolleybuses	Current Trackless trolley routes 59 66 75 City bus routes 6 23 29 35 37 38 53 56 60 79 Suburban bus routes 103 104 Former Trackless trolley routes 29 79
Miscellaneous	1983 Regional Rail strike 25 Hz traction power system Callowhill Depot Center City Commuter Connection SEPTA Key

• SEPTA
• SEPTA Light Rail
• Philadelphia-area trackless trolleys
• SEPTA bus routes