ARCHIVES - 07/03/02

Service on routes out of Allegheny Depot were substantially delayed due to an "illegal demonstration" by Roofers Union Local 30. NBC 10 reported that buses were being brought in from other depots to fill try and cover service. Routes 6, 9, 27, 33, 48, and 60 operated with substantial delays with substantial delays once service resumed; the 65 also operated with some delays, but the delays weren't as bad, thanks to the split operation with Callowhill.

The dispute is over the use on non-union contractors working at Allegheny. No arrests were made during the protest, which began at 5:00am and was curtailed at around 11:30am, following an injunction by a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court judge. Service on the Allegheny routes slowly returned to normal by around 3:00pm.

The blockade by the Roofers Union may also raise controversy regarding pay status of Allegheny employees. There are high ranking people within SEPTA who are convinced that since Allegheny employees did not cross the picket lines, that may result in the forfeiture of pay. On the other hand, even if the operators crossed the picket line, the blockade would've made it impossible for buses to leave the depot anyway. It's one of those Catch-22 situations. Yet, it couldn't have happened at a worse time, considering it's a holiday week and the heat was very oppressive.

Yet, this isn't the first time there's been controversy over roof repairs at Allegheny. According to one Allegheny operator, SEPTA used a non-union contractor to repair the roof at Allegheny about 5-6 years ago, causing a similar protest by Local 30. How interesting that the roof has been such a problem at Allegheny for so long, considering the depot was re-built in the mid to late 1980s.

Service on several routes in the suburbs - particularly in Delaware County - will be subject to detours and delays tomorrow. This is a listing of trouble spots in Delaware County that SEPTA never bothered to mention:

• Routes 55 and 77 may be detoued in and around Jenkintown due to a parade
• Route 97 will be detoured off of Fayette St in Conshohocken due to the annual Soap Box Derby
• Route 101 may be subject to delays due to Springfield's parade, particluarly near the Leamy Av and Springfield Rd stations
• Route 102 may be subject to delays in Clifton Heights and Aldan due to a parade
• Route 104 service will be delayed about 20-30 minutes due to the Marple-Newtown parade between PA 252 and Malin Rd (Broomall Fire Company)
• Route 109 will be detoured in Clifton Heights along Baltimore Pike between Marple Av and Church Lane due to a parade
• Route 112 may be delayed along Darby Road due to the Llanerch 4th of July parade
• Route 113 service will be detoured off of MacDade Blvd in Collingdale between Clifton and Staley Avenues due to a parade; service will most likely operate via Chester Pike; the 113 may also be delayed in Glenolden near Ashland Av due to that borough's parade
• Buses operating through the west side of the City of Chester, including the Chester Transportation Center (37, 109, 113, 114, and 117) may be subject to delays near the Chester YMCA at 7 & Sproul due to the annual Chester Walk/Run
• Route L service along Germantown Pike between the Barren Hill Fire Company (Church Rd) and Miles Park (Joshua Rd) in Whitemarsh Twp, Montgomery County, will be affected due to a parade, service would probably be detoured via Ridge Pike

The MCI Demo will still be on SEPTA property rhough Saturday. It will not be used on Thursday, but will be in service on Friday and Saturday on 123, 124, and 125 trips.

Yesterday, 3234 was spotted on S High St in West Chester, training operators for the new 104 extension to West Chester Univesity.

The Neoplan cruiser being leased from Pittsburgh is now tenatively slated to arrive on Thursday, July 11.

The Bucks County TMA is also participating in the Code Red Ozone Alert days, which will allow riders of the Doylestown DART and the Pennridge, Quakertown, and Warminster RUSH services to ride free when the Ozone Alert reaches "Code Red" stages.

DART First State will once again offer free rides until 12 noon on an Ozone Alert "Code Red" weekday.

Although it appears that the 5600s may be needed sooner rather than later, the official scheduled delivery date for the last of the original 300 low floor buses will not arrive until April.

On a side note, all 8600/8700/8800 Neoplans are now officially off the roster and will no longer see revenue service. These buses were removed from service at the end of June.This is contributing to what will hopefully be a temporary bus shortage at Callowhill, where some ElDorados onto the 52 during peak hours, as was the case on Monday with 4580. It's also not helping that some Callowhill buses are being used on the 36 shuttle between Woodland Shops and Penrose Plaza.