Many cities are struggling with public transit violence and homelessness, but Philadelphia’s system is being held up as an example for introducing an innovative plan that seems to be a hopeful, humane way to handle its problems. As ridership drops in the pandemic, crime on SEPTA risesSEPTA is America’s fifth-largest transit system, with about 900,000 rides a day pre-COVID, or roughly half the size of the TTC. Since the pandemic, ridership across SEPTA has been a fraction of what it once was, and violence has risen. Transit violence leads to a decrease in ridershipStill, there’s something about violence on transit, a confined space that’s meant to be an unremarkable, routine part of the day, that makes people particularly anxious. But unlike cities such as New York, where police are treated as the foremost solution to transit crime, SEPTA recognizes that police aren’t best positioned to handle all situations, especially ones involving vulnerable people.

Source: thestar March 19, 2023 02:58 UTC