Increasing SEPTA Bus Operators’ Restroom Access
by Jasmine Wu and Zoe Yoo
One of the lesser-discussed issues surrounding public transit systems throughout the United States is the access to, and availability of, bathrooms for vehicle drivers. This is particularly relevant for bus drivers, who often drive routes that do not start or stop at established stations and are more susceptible to being behind schedule for o following trips. In a Department of Labor investigation into King County Metro Transit, which services Seattle and its surrounding areas, investigators found that operators have had alarmingly inadequate restroom access; bus drivers often have to resort to wearing diapers or even urinating in their seats. [1] One operator even reported developing IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) after twenty years of working in such conditions. [2]
Philadelphia is no exception to this widespread issue. In a 2016 SEPTA driver strike, strike captain and bus operator Hondu Brown, attests to the fact that bus drivers are often asked to skip the breaks they are required to have at the end of each run to make up for schedule delay. [3] This approach to delay strips operators of a basic human need and right. Although the SEPTA strike ended eight years ago, it is unclear based on publicly available information whether drivers’ restroom needs are truly being met in the present. In the fall of 2019, three-quarters of SEPTA bus routes, including all routes with high ridership, did not meet the 80% on-time performance standard. [4] Further, the SEPTA bus system has been inundated with delays for the last two years following ridership losses from the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating existing issues for drivers. [5]
The first step towards fixing this issue is for SEPTA, the City of Philadelphia, and the public, to acknowledge its importance. In Washington, D.C., bus operators, activists, and the local transit union pressured the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) for similar restroom access concerns. In response, WMATA officials quoted an existing policy that guarantees operators’ right to aid in securing the bus in order to use a restroom facility along their routes by notifying the Bus Operations Control Center. [6]
Though important, we believe a policy can only be effective when transit agencies acknowledge drivers’ inherent rights and set clear guidelines and accommodations for persistent concerns. Some of these concerns have been listed as follows:
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Inadequate access to restrooms is a health and safety problem because drivers are at risk of urinary infections, dehydration, and fatigue.
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Because bus routes are fluid in nature and often delayed, bus drivers will not be disciplined for using the restroom when late on schedule.
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The quantity of restrooms has to be increased, and just as importantly, followed up by maintaining their quality, cleanliness, and physical accessibility.
The first step towards fixing this issue is for SEPTA, the City of Philadelphia, and the public, to acknowledge its importance.
Mapping and Evaluating Bathroom Access
A critical component of guaranteeing bathroom access is geographic availability – where are the bathrooms located? When trying to identify where SEPTA drivers and commuters can access bathrooms along bus routes, little information is available besides that routes “must have a bathroom at the end of the route for drivers to use during their short breaks between runs.” [7] Usually, these end-of-route stops are either transportation centers in the urban core or smaller facilities in suburban neighborhoods, such as…. the scare mapping of which has raised frustrations for both riders and drivers. In Boston, a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rider Miles Taylor made an effort to map all bathrooms on the system’s key rapid transit and bus routes based on field observations, a crowdsourced initiative that highlighted the need for an official map. [8] No less important than bike racks or benches, bathrooms are an amenity that need to be publicly visible.
Graphic: Micah Epstein, Morgan Griffiths, and Ran Wang for ‘Boston’s Mobility Future’ Studio, Fall 2022
Building Upon SEPTA’s Efforts
The 2021 SEPTA Bus Revolution aims to improve bus quality, service, and reliability through route simplification, along with making routes more relevant to post-pandemic demand patterns. [9] Ideally, these implementations, which will commence on=ground in the spring of 2023, will work to limit the number and severity of delays that affect the bus network. With fewer delays, drivers may have more time in-between runs to take breaks and use the restroom. However, this cannot be left as a desirable side effect of system improvements. Ensuring that SEPTA employees are guaranteed a right that has been previously denied needs to be an integral part of the Bus Revolution process. A more reliable bus system must benefit both transit riders and bus operators.
When we asked about whether and how Bus Revolution is going to help address this issue, officials at SEPTA responded similarly, with an emphasis on the fact that better schedules will help operators as well. In addition, restroom access will be consolidated as contractual, and there are investments being made to improve end-of-line facilities for operators. For lines without dedicated end-of-line facilities including transportation centers and end loops, SEPTA has relied on partnerships with private facilities, such as shopping malls, to offer restroom access to operators. Recently changing ownerships, business shutdowns, and general lack of enforceability within agreements make these partnerships difficult to uphold. As such, contractual access and more reliable operation schedules are a good basis for restroom access but need to be further built out and prioritized for meaningful impact.
Incorporating bathroom access into system improvements may not be easy but is an essential change attainable through physical intervention and policy adjustment.
Map: Miles Taylor, ‘Unofficial MBTA Bathroom Map’; adapted by Micah Epstein, Morgan Griffiths, Ran Wang for ‘Boston’s Mobility Future’ Studio, Fall 2022
Strengthening Partnerships with Private Facilities
One way to make lasting improvements to access could be through cooperative action involving both SEPTA and the City of Philadelphia. Investing in new bathrooms at SEPTA’s end-of-line facilities can be expensive and time-consuming, so an alternative to solidify physical access to bathrooms is by strengthening partnerships with private facilities at end-of-line stops. The city could aid with facilitating private businesses’ provision of public bathrooms by requiring them in business permits or by providing a financial incentive to maintain accessible bathrooms. Furthermore, although the proposed goal is to protect bus operators’ access to restrooms, these measures would have a broader benefit for the city by increasing public facilities.
Incorporating bathroom access into system improvements may not be easy but is an essential change attainable through physical intervention and policy adjustment. With more stakeholders acknowledging the problem and its impact, increasing SEPTA bus operators’ access to bathrooms becomes a multi-force task. Outside of Bus Revolution efforts, locating and evaluating the status quo of existing bathrooms should be the first step. The City can contribute to this process by activating partnerships with private facilities to maintain bathrooms at non-SEPTA-owned end-of-line stops. Currently standing with a shortage crisis of bus operators, it’s not hard to understand that mental and physical health of a transit system’s workforce is the basis for a reliable and sustainable bus system, which, in turn, empowers the region’s mobility.
About the Author: Jasmine Wu
Jasmine Siyu Wu (she/her/hers) is a Master of City Planning canditate concentrating on Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure Planning. When completing a B.S. in GeoDesign at the University of Southern California, she built new interests in urban informatics, spatial data sciences, environmental justice, and transportation planning. Since September 2021, she has been contributing to the accessibility and equity research on teen driving education, and is dedicated to building an active, safe, efficient, and just transportation system by taking advantage of scientific and technological development in other fields.
About the Author: Zoe Yoo
Zoe Yoo (she/her) is a Master of City Planning candidate focusing on Sustainable Transportation and Infrastructure Planning. Her interests in urban planning began in high school as passions for environmental justice and human-oriented urban design; and developed towards using transportation planning and geospatial analysis as methods of supporting equity while completing a B.A. in Sustainable Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley. She previously interned for the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure, and Sustainability, and currently works to support transit safety at Transportation Resource Associates.
ENDNOTES
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Lazo, “Bus Drivers Forced to ‘Go’ on the Bus Because They Don’t Have Access to Restrooms, Union Says.”
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Stangler, “Toilet Troubles Plague Bus Drivers Across The US.”which can pose health and safety risks.”,
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Owens, “SEPTA’s Striking Bus Drivers Are Tired of Being Tired.”
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Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, “SEPTA State of the Bus System.”
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Fitzgerald, “SEPTA Bus Riders Are Frustrated by Persistent Delays. Officials Say a Shortage of Drivers Is to Blame.”
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Lazo, “Bus Drivers Forced to ‘Go’ on the Bus Because They Don’t Have Access to Restrooms, Union Says.”
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Saksa, “SEPTA Previews New Bus Route to Link University City with Brewerytown, Fairmount and Grays Ferry.”
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Taylor, “The Unofficial MBTA Bathroom Map! | Miles in Transit.”
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Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, “SEPTA Forward.”
SOURCES