The Philadelphia City Commissioners is holding mobile staffed ballot drop-off events at various Philadelphia Free Library branches ahead of the November 8th General Election. Personnel from the Board of Elections will be on hand to collect voted Absentee and Mail-in ballots.

Here’s the schedule of such events in West and Southwest Philadelphia:

• Tuesday, Oct. 25 and Nov. 1, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. & 1 p.m.-4 p.m.:

Overbrook Park Library, 7422 Haverford Ave

• Wednesday, Oct. 26 and Nov. 2, 11 a.m.-12 p.m. & 1 p.m.-4 p.m.: Continue Reading

Job seekers looking for employment in the nonprofit sector are invited this Thursday, Oct. 13, to a Nonprofit Job Fair organized by Free Library of Philadelphia. The job fair will take place from from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Parkway Central Library.

The job fair is an opportunity to meet with many local organizations and agencies planning to grow their teams.

Participating employers and community resources at the Nonprofit Job Fair include: Continue Reading

Complaining about SEPTA has been a Philly pastime for generations (they may never live down “We’re Getting There“). Buses that never show; ones that blow by you at a stop because they’re full; that long wait on a cold winter morning only for three buses to show up at once. Most of us have been there.

Well, transit planners at last night’s public unveiling of a proposed overhaul of SEPTA’s bus system say they are making changes – from shorter wait times to more consistent schedules and “straighter” routes.

“If we were building it from scratch, what would it look like?” SEPTA transit planner Dan Nemiroff asked during the online meeting to release the proposed route changes as part of SEPTA’s Bus Revolution project. Continue Reading

SEPTA is redesigning the entire Philadelphia region bus network as part of its Bus Revolution project and will present a draft network on Monday, Oct. 3. The redesign project aims to make buses more reliable, efficient, and easier to use. The redesigned network will combine SEPTA customers’ feedback with the Bus Revolution team’s ideas.

The new draft network will be presented online during SEPTA’s Transit Talk event on Monday, Oct. 3rd, from 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m..

During this Transit Talk, SEPTA will:

• Provide an update on the project timeline and next steps
• Share the Draft Network with a focus on what’s proposed and why
• Share the calendar of Fall 2022 events
• Highlight the project website and where information is available
• Let you know what is coming next. Continue Reading

SEPTA is preparing to introduce new technology that will allow riders to pay for trips with their smart phones, according to reports. The mobile ticket program is expected to launch by October, and will be available on all modes of transit except Regional Rail.

Only Android and iPhone users will be able to use this new feature and those who have a SEPTA Key account. One of the advantages of the new technology is that “multi-tapping” will be allowed, which means rides for other people (up to five) can be purchased on a single SEPTA Key account, something SEPTA Key cards are not devised to do.

The initial testing phase of the new technology took place in May and mostly included SEPTA employees. The second testing phase is expected to launch next month and SEPTA is seeking users not as familiar with the program. If you have one of the phones mentioned above and a SEPTA Key account and would like to participate in the pilot, fill out this online form.

Regional Rail users will have to wait until at least Spring 2023 to use mobile tickets. For more info, check out this article by Billy Penn.

The City of Philadelphia has recently received $25 million in federal funding for the “Great Streets PHL” project, which aims to make safety improvements to high-crash corridors in historically disadvantaged communities and areas of persistent poverty.

The funding comes from a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) Grant, funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

The funding will make improvements along seven high-crash corridors in the city, including the following streets in West Philadelphia: Continue Reading