Thursday, February 27, 2014

Flower Show Note for SEPTA Riders

The Philadelphia Flower Show brings a lot of business to the region and is a bright, sunny event.  Regular SEPTA riders, or at least this one, notice the increased traffic on the trains during the show.  SEPTA has released a memo on sharing the trains with visitors.  I know it can be a little disconcerting but let's welcome all these nice people who want to spend their money here.


- The Philadelphia Flower Show (March 1-9) is always a popular event bringing throngs of horticultural fans to the Pennsylvania Convention Center and our Regional Rail service. This year we’re expecting even more people will want to get an early glimpse of spring, so riders need to be prepared for bigger crowds on Regional Rail trains. In anticipation of the increased ridership during the week of the Philadelphia Flower Show, SEPTA is asking its regular commuters to help welcome the new and infrequent riders. 
 “Company’s coming and we want to remind our customers that there will be many new faces on regional rail trains,” Kim Heinle, SEPTA’s Assistant General Manager of Customer Service and Advocacy said. “We recognize that many visitors are infrequent riders who may only take the train once a year or are taking it for the first time.”  
The extra traffic will bring inconveniences for our regular customers as people not familiar with our riding rules and regulations board the trains.  
Regular SEPTA commuters can welcome the new and infrequent riders by: 
 -Using overhead racks for large carry-on items 
-Accommodating other customers that wish to use the middle seats 
-Yielding priority seats to riders with disabilities and seniors 
-Being courteous and patient with unfamiliar riders  
We know that many of our regular riders love our QuietRide car. Our crews will be focused on safety, fare collection and announcements, but we’ll do our best to keep things from getting too noisy.  We’re asking our regular riders to anticipate some conversation and commotion during this heavy travel period.  
SEPTA Ambassadors will be on-hand at Market East Station to assist new riders, but a little common courtesy and a heavy dose of understanding will help when regular riders see the brigade of potted plant stand bearers heading for their train.  
The 2014 “ARTiculture – Where art meets horticulture” will attract thousands of visitors. Held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the annual Philadelphia Flower Show is the oldest and largest event of its kind. SEPTA’s Independence and Family Independence passes offer a convenient, economical way to travel into Center City for the show. Visitors can also purchase discounted admission tickets to the Flower Show at SEPTA sales offices, Regional Rail ticket offices and online at shop.septa.org

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