Philadelphia’s SEPTA reported its highest-ever customer satisfaction scores, according to new data released by the agency.

The authority has conducted its quarterly Customer Satisfaction Survey since 2023, requesting feedback from riders on safety, cleanliness, reliability, and other key performance indicators.

Latest Satisfaction Scores

For the first quarter of 2025, more than 3,500 SEPTA customers ranked their overall satisfaction with the transit system, with an average score of 3.5 out of 5 — the highest ranking to date.

“These survey results show that we are prioritizing what matters most to our riders,” said SEPTA GM Scott A. Sauer. “Even in the face of a historic funding crisis, we continue to make significant improvements in every customer experience category, and we are committed to doing more.”

SEPTA's Efforts

Thanks to efforts to bolster staffing and the implementation of innovative enforcement strategies, SEPTA Transit Police have continued to implement new data-driven deployment strategies. These efforts are helping keep serious crime rates low, with reductions in seven of eight categories over the first six months of 2025.

In addition to the historic progress on serious crimes, the focus on fare evasion and quality-of-ride offenses by Transit Police is also showing significant improvement. 

Overall enforcement of these incidents increased by 27% compared to the first quarter of 2024.

The agency has also increased its cleaning headcount by 150 since 2021. 

The authority now has more than 700 cleaners and maintenance personnel strategically deployed to keep stations and vehicles clean and respond to issues as they arise.

New initiatives, such as “pit crews” that perform mid-route cleaning of Market-Frankford [L] Line cars and buses throughout the service day, are reflected in improved scores related to cleanliness. “Heavy hit” teams are performing scheduled deep cleanings, with 161 stations completed so far this year.

Reliability Also Up

Average daily ridership in May 2025 was over 768,000 trips across all modes — an increase of 7% from May 2024.

Operator availability is a significant factor in service performance and reliability; SEPTA has worked diligently to address frontline staffing shortages. 

Bus operator hiring is up 43% in 2025 — from an average of approximately 40 new operators per month to 57.

SEPTA also focused on improving reliability for the Regional Rail network. On-time performance for this schedule period across all Regional Rail lines is 87%, compared to 81% during the last schedule period.