- Do not run for buses, trains, trolleys, or attempt to board a moving vehicle. Passengers can be seriously injured or even killed if they fall into or under vehicles.
- Do not stand or lean into the path of an incoming vehicle. Always stand at least a few feet away from the bus lanes or the train, trolley, or subway tracks.
- Do not put your hand, purse, umbrella, or any other object in the closing door of a train, bus, or trolley.
- Always hold your child’s hand when waiting for services or on board. Do not let your child wander. Transit areas are very busy. Help your child on and off the vehicle.
- Operators and engineers sometimes will refuse riders if a vehicle is full. SEPTA cannot allow additional passengers to board a vehicle if doing so will cause unsafe riding conditions.
- Look before boarding or exiting a bus or trolley. On certain routes, where streets are wide enough, cars may try to pass a stopped trolley or bus.
- Watch your step when entering or exiting a vehicle. Make sure you have firm footing.
- For routes with center island platforms: always enter and exit the island from the proper locations. Be sure to access the islands only when the pedestrian light is green. Hold children’s hands when crossing the street.
- If you’re standing while riding, hold tightly to the poles or seat rails.
- Always keep your personal belongings with you while traveling on our buses, subways, trolleys, and trains. Before boarding or exiting our vehicles, please take a moment to make sure you have all your possessions, including any briefcases, purses, backpacks, packages, or suitcases.
- Be aware of your surroundings. Most riders use the same travel pattern daily and become familiar with stations, vehicles, employees, and fellow riders. Be alert for suspicious people or objects. If you are concerned, calmly tell a police officer or uniformed SEPTA employee. Never approach a suspicious person or touch a suspicious object. You may use the SEPTA Transit Watch App, available for Mac IOS and Android, to report something suspicious.
- Trolley tracks often run down the middle of the street, so be cautious when crossing them.
- Stop as soon as possible when you see and hear activated flashers, bells, and gates. The train has right of way. Never travel into a crossing until the flashing lights go out completely. There may be a second train coming from the opposite direction that will reactivate the gates.
- Never stop on a crossing, especially if you are in a line of traffic, even if no trains are in sight.
- Never assume a train is going to slow down or stop because there is a rail station next to the crossing. Don’t attempt to beat a train at a crossing.
- Always assume all tracks are active areas.
- Read all posted signage and safety warnings.
- Yield to pedestrians and vehicles.
- Trains approaching a highway grade crossing are traveling at their normal speeds because they do not stop.
- Whether you are driving or walking, always be alert for vehicles crossing the street.
- Walking along the track right of way or crossing the tracks is trespassing. It could be a fatal mistake.
- Stay alert. Approaching trains and trolleys can be very quiet, especially when there is snow on the ground, or the weather is damp.
- Pay attention to your surroundings. Approaching trains and trolleys can seem to appear suddenly if you’re listening to music with a headset or ear buds, or when you’re on your phone.
- Know that a moving train or trolley can’t steer out of the way of an object or person.
- Trains and trolleys are faster than you think. A train or trolley that you think is far enough away to give you time to illegally cross the tracks can still hit you.
Safety Tipsheets
Download the tipsheets provided by Operation Lifesaver in PDF format.
