The news that Amtrak is dropping its twice-daily bus service connecting Reading, Pottstown and Philadelphia certainly was discouraging. But it looks like the situation is turning into a welcome case of one step back, two steps forward.
The national rail line announced in February that the Thruway Bus Service from Reading to Philadelphia, established three years ago, would be discontinued in mid-March due to insufficient ridership.
This was worrisome for two reasons. With few other options to get to Philadelphia from Berks County and the Pottstown area, the loss of this service would be a serious blow to people who don’t drive or would prefer not to navigate Route 422 and city streets. The other concern was whether Amtrak would take the bus ridership levels as a signal that it should reconsider the train service being contemplated for the same route. The bus service was an opportunity to establish Reading and Pottstown as Amtrak stops before rail service arrives.
The good news on the latter point is that Amtrak insists it is still very much on board with the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority even though it is dropping the bus route.
There were happy developments as to the continuation of the route, as well. The transit firm OurBus has stepped in to take over and enhance the service.
As of March 18, OurBus will be providing service between Reading and Philadelphia. That includes three round trips a day to Philadelphia Mondays through Sundays plus a fourth trip on weekend nights. And Philadelphia International Airport will be one of the destinations. There will be stops along the way not just in Pottstown but in Limerick and King of Prussia as well. Tickets start at $24 for Reading to Philadelphia and $45 for Reading to the airport, plus fees.
More trips and more stops make this a net gain over the previous bus service.
There was still some uncertainty regarding some the stop locations when OurBus announced the service on Thursday, but we expect OurBus to make it work and ensure no disruption for commuters on the route. Keep in mind that OurBus, in partnership with Douglassville-based Klein Transportation Inc., stepped in six years ago when Bieber Tourways abruptly shut down, seemingly putting an end to bus service from Reading to New York, with stops in Kutztown and the Lehigh Valley. The company swiftly picked up the route and has been running it successfully for six years.
OurBus wisely conducted ridership surveys before agreeing to take on this latest challenge and adjusted its service plan, most notably providing the airport stop, based on what commuters said they wanted. We certainly agree that another airport transportation option would be welcome.
It’s worth noting that OurBus is not dedicating full-size coaches to the Philadelphia route. It will be using sprinter vans and mini buses operated by Super Trans and Airport Connection Express Services, which operate airport shuttles.
That is a sensible decision considering Amtrak’s apparent difficulties filling buses on that route, but OurBus indicated it could switch to larger vehicles if there is sufficient demand.
We call on those who would find such a service helpful to patronize it early and often to encourage its continuation and ideally its expansion.
Here’s one suggestion: Special service to the sports complex in South Philadelphia. Getting there by car during an event is enormously difficult, and people in the far-western suburbs and Berks have no other option. The traffic and parking situations are so bad that there are those who see it as less of a hassle to park in Center City Philadelphia and take the subway to the stadium.
To get things started on the right foot, we expect OurBus to promote the service robustly, and the company says it will. Many people said they weren’t aware Amtrak was even offering its bus service until they heard it was being discontinued. We were encouraged to hear from OurBus that hundreds of people replied to its survey and expressed enthusiasm for the service but want it to be broadly advertised and to offer more convenient departure times.
The continuation of bus service should not impact efforts by Berks, Chester and Montgomery county officials to reestablish passenger rail service along the Route 422 corridor. That is still years away at best. We’re pleased to see that process continuing to advance and for the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority to start promoting its work a bit. More of that will be needed as the return of rail comes closer to fruition.
We thank OurBus for recognizing and addressing this need and urge readers to support it. Let’s each do what we can to give people who don’t live near SEPTA’s regional rail routes a good alternative to suffering behind the wheel on Route 422 and the Schuylkill Expressway.
Source: Berkshire mont