Bus Route Review #1: 150 (SEPTA)

150 Bus at PARX Casino

The 150 is a bus that goes from Plymouth Meeting Mall to PARX Casino. This bus is basically a casino bus, going directly from a mall to a casino via I-276, aka the PA Turnpike. 

Information


The 150 runs Mondays through Saturdays, 12 trips per day on weekdays, and 10 on Saturdays, making for a horrendous 70 trips per week. Compare this with a much more frequent bus, like say the 52 and you see why 70 is such a sad number (as of 2020, the 52 runs 742 trips per week, almost 11 times the amount of trips the 150 runs.) Considering that the 150 runs 70 buses per week, you'd expect it to have similarly horrendous frequency, and you would be correct.  Below is a picture of a timetable I took for the 150 (the bus was stocked with them for once):

Extremely frequent, huh? 

This bus essentially runs as pullout/pullback service, hence the extreme infrequency. 

PARX Casino Bus Terminal

I started my journey on the 150 at PARX Casino, a major bus transfer location for Bucks County. I wish I did not have to. There's going to be a review on the bus terminal one day, but until then, have this photo. In simple terms, it's a sad, sad place to have to spend over an hour of your life. 
What an amazing place

More Info About the Bus


Map of the bus route from the timetable I took

Despite the 1-page bus timetable, the 150 bus is a long route. Also, despite the website and numerous other sources mentioning that the 150 will stop at three stops on Street Road, one stop on Germantown Avenue, and two stops on Hickory Road between Parx Casino and Plymouth Meeting Mall, the bus essentially ignores these stops unless you flag it down at one, possibly. I do not recommend doing this, you're best off waiting at Parx Casino or Plymouth Meeting Mall. 

The Bus Ride


Parx Casino from the bus

The 150 eventually pulled up from Parx Casino, and a total of 8 passengers got onto the bus. 

It took 7 minutes for the bus to get to Street Road from Parx Casino, partially because of construction happening. Eventually, the bus did get to the stroad, Street Road. 

Well, thats one way to curb jaywalking. That's assuming anyone would even walk here obviously. 

Eventually, the bus gets to the Pennsylvania Turnpike or I-276. This is where the bus will spend the majority of the route time. 

Average point on I-276

After about 20 minutes on I-276, the bus turns onto Germantown Pike, passes by a few businesses, and then eventually gets to Plymouth Meeting Mall, where you get dropped off at the mall's bus berth, which is a much nicer experience than the one at Parx Casino, with multiple shelters and berths.

One of the shelters at Plymouth Meeting Mall

How the 150 can be improved


The first thing one must do to improve this bus is very simple: Give it a dedicated schedule. This bus essentially runs pullout - pullback service, making it very infrequent. Then, an extension to Norristown Transportation Center would also help as well, and possibly also stopping at Fort Washington, Willow Grove and at Neshaminy Mall. However, these ideas are all moot unless the aforementioned pullout - pullback service is discontinued. Alternatively, with a dedicated service pattern, this bus can be shortened to Willow Grove and extended in the southern end to another terminus, possibly City Line loop or one of the train stations on the Trenton line. Another idea is to discontinue the line, which would not be much of a loss in it's current configuration. 

The fate of the 150

The 150 will be a guaranteed victim of the Bus Revolution, which is probably a good thing considering how useless this route is. 

Possible Transfers


At Parx Casino:

1: to 54th and City (Wynnefield) 
20/50: to Frankford Transportation Center (both routes are similar)
128: westbound to Neshaminy Mall (Bensalem), eastbound to Oxford Valley Mall (Oxford Valley)
130: southbound to City Line Loop (Torresdale), northbound to Bucks County Community College (Newtown) 

At Plymouth Meeting Mall: 

L: to Olney Transportation Center
27: to Broad and Carpenter (Graduate Hospital)
90: to Norristown Transportation Center
95: westbound to Gulph Mills Station (NHSL), eastbound to Willow Grove Mall
98: westbound to Norristown Transportation Center, eastbound to Blue Bell

Locations of Interest along route 150

Plymouth Meeting Mall

There are very few points of interest along route 150. Only Parx Casino, the Bucks County visitors center, and Plymouth Meeting Mall. The roads around all of these places are unsafe for walking around. 

Other Route Statistics:


Distance: 22 miles
Time: 32 Minutes
EDI: 1.04
Frequency: Pullout - Pullback
Amount of Deviations: 0
Ridership: 22 per day 
Amount of Transfer points: 2
Average Speed: 41 mph
Variations: 1

Final Verdict: 1/10

This bus route is certainly an interesting one, but definitely not a good route at all. 


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