Philadelphia Airport to 30th Street: SEPTA or Lyft?

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Oreius

OBS Chief
Joined
Jun 5, 2012
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696
My flight for Philadelphia gets in at 4:00. Should I take the Septa R1 train to 30th Street? I have back issues and don’t want the hassle of the luggage. Plus, Philadelphia is a rather dangerous place. Suggestions?
 
Oreius said:
My flight for Philadelphia gets in at 4:00. Should I take the Septa R1 train to 30th Street? I have back issues and don’t want the hassle of the luggage. Plus, Philadelphia is a rather dangerous place. Suggestions?
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If you have back issues and do not mind spending a little extra for the convenience, I would take a car service or taxi so you do not have to deal with luggage.
However, I have always felt safe on SEPTA in Philadelphia.
 
Oreius said:
Plus, Philadelphia is a rather dangerous place. Suggestions?
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Yes, I have a few suggestions.

1. It's not as dangerous as you're making it out to be. So please, stop making it seem like you're going to be harmed there.

2. The Airport Line isn't dangerous. It's mostly people trying to get to and from their jobs at the airport, and people trying to get to Center City

3. I have spent hours upon hours upon hours at 30th Street Station. And your other post where you said that you got hassled by someone who was homeless or mentally ill is uncommon. APD is normally on top of things in that regard.
 
Acela150 said:
Yes, I have a few suggestions.

1. It's not as dangerous as you're making it out to be. So please, stop making it seem like you're going to be harmed there.

2. The Airport Line isn't dangerous. It's mostly people trying to get to and from their jobs at the airport, and people trying to get to Center City

3. I have spent hours upon hours upon hours at 30th Street Station. And your other post where you said that you got hassled by someone who was homeless or mentally ill is uncommon. APD is normally on top of things in that regard.
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I actually have taken the SEPTA airport train in the past. It wasn’t too bad then. Maybe I shouldn’t have said all of Philadelphia is dangerous. But the violence in many parts is out of control. I’m 40 years old and my mother ALWAYS tells me sternly: “Don’t you dare leave that station!!”

Yes, that homeless person was an exception. However, he really did scare me when I was at 30th Street last September. He sat directly next to me and was talking very delusional. I work at a mental hospital, and this person was actually worse than the patients I serve. I did notify Amtrak police about the person. But, needless to say, I was very scared.

I did use Lyft to get from the airport to 30th Street. Interestingly, I arrived at the station at 5:30–the same time the No. 92 was to arrive!
 
We’ve never had any issues riding SEPTA. We’ve even done joy rides to some not so savory areas without issues directly to us. Did help a family of tourists once who got on the wrong line, only to end up in Kensington. We took the time out of our vacation to help them end to end where they were supposed to go.

Yeah the SEPTA rail system is easy. It’s the NY system where I lack a mastery of. I know life long New Yorkers who manage to once in a while screw up and get on the wrong train.
 
I lived for over 20 years in the Philadelphia area and never worried about taking SEPTA especially Regional Rail. Like Chicago and other cities the crime you hear about is mostly in parts of the city you are unlikely to go into as a tourist or traveler.

The Airport line stops at a platform for each of the terminals not far from the bag claim. The platforms at Airport and 30th St. are all floor level.

It might also depend on your ultimate destination. If you are transferring to Amtrak then SEPTA would be a good way to go as you only have to walk down from the upper level to the lower level Amtrak area at 30th St.
 
To add: if I am going from Point A to Point B and public transportation goes exactly from Point A to Point B with no transfers, I’ll take public transportation unless the timing is bad (eg, a long wait or it’s late at night).

Why spend more for Uber when your tax dollars are already paying for part of the cost of the trip and the marginal cost on public transportation is so low?

I recently paid $55 for a 20-minute car trip when I could have done it for $2.75 in 40 minutes on mass transit. I paid $55 only because it was late at night and I wanted to get to bed.
 
Seaboard92 said:
It is a small thing I can do, and if it helps my passengers I'm doing my job correctly. I also help rebook you, and give you instructions on flight alternatives if you miss your flight because we're late. I put effort and try to help people because I love my job.
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I'm in the middle of a program to get a degree in Travel and Tourism, which I'll complete in December. I hope to be doing something in the field by early next year. I'll do an internship in the fall. A life's second act thing for me...
 

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