Introduction
SEPTA Bus Route 9 operates from Andorra to Center City via I-76 and Chestnut/Walnut Streets. Service on route 9 is provided by Allegheny Depot (District 5).
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SEPTA Route 9 Routing
SEPTA route 9 operates between Ridge-Cathedral (Andorra) and 4th-Walnut operating local via Ridge Avenue, express via I-76, and then local again on Chestnut/Walnut Streets.
Key Transfer Points on Route 9
SEPTA Route 9 has many transfer points, including…
- Ridge Avenue and Cathedral Road
- SEPTA bus route 27
- Ridge Avenue and Lyceum Avenue
- SEPTA bus route 32
- Wissahickon Transit Center
- 30th Street Station
- Broad Street (Chestnut Street Southbound and Walnut Street northbound)
- 4th and Walnut Streets
- SEPTA bus routes 21, 42, 57
Route 9 Origins
SEPTA Route 9, as well as routes 27 and 32, all started off as route A in 1923.
Route A, Manayunk and Upper Roxborough to Center City, 1923-1984
The original route A operated from Frankford-Pratt Terminal (now Frankford Transit Center) to 15th-Spruce, operating via Roosevelt Bouelvard, Hunting Park Avenue, 29th Street, Lehigh Avenue, 33rd Street, Poplar Drive, and Ben Franklin Parkway. This would be the first bus routes to operate the streets of Philadelphia, created on September 23rd 1923.
By 1942, route R would take over the routing via Hunting Park Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, and route A would now operate between Ridge-Summit and 15th-Spruce via Ridge Avenue, Henry Avenue, 29th Street, Lehigh Avenue, 33rd Street, then operate through Poplar, 26th/27th Street, Pennsylvania Avenu, 22nd/21st Streets, then returning to the familar via Ben Franklin Parkway routing, to Philadelphia City Hall, then running south Broad Street to terminate at 15th-Spruce.
In May 1954, route A and R would swap terminus points yet again as route R would now terminate at Ridge-Summit, and Route A would be extended north to Andorra via Ridge Avenue.
An express variant of route A would be created by Philadelphia Transportation Company on the September 8th 1959, operating local service from Barren Hill via Ridge Avenue to Henry Avenue, then Walnut Lane, back over to Ridge Avenue, then express via I-76 then I-676 to Broad and Vine Streets, then back local via Broad Street to 15th-Spruce. This was a peak-hour only service, and was otherwise the only consistent bus service on Henry Avenue for a while.
On the same date, route A would be extended North to Barren Hill via Ridge Pike. Trips would also run alternating between terminating at Andorra and running via Henry Avenue, or terminating at Barren Hill and Staying on Ridge Avenue. Buses from Andorra would run express service South of Allegheny Avenue.
From this point onward, route A would operate three service patterns:
- Andorra to Center City Semi-Express
- Barren Hill to Center City Express
- Barren Hill to Center City Local
And that would remain the case until 1984.
On February 5th 1984, SEPTA, who took over PTC operations in 1968, would split up operations of route A into three different routes:
Route 9 would be the designator for the Andorra to Center City Semi-Express service.
Route 27 would be the designator for the Barren Hill to Center City Express service.
Route 32 would be the designator for the Barren Hill to Center City Local service.
This page from now on will only talk about the bus route 9. For more on route 27 and 32, check their respective history pages.
Route 9, Andorra to Center City and Independence Mall, 1984-Present
From February 5th 1984, route 9 would be the primary bus route between Andorra and Center City. It was re-routed on the same day to operate via Ridge Avenue. Henry Avenue service would then be split between routes 27 and 32. The service was also re-routed to operate via 30th Street Station instead of I-676, keeping the Semi-Express service but moving it to I-76 instead of 33rd St/Poplar Drive. It was also re-routed to operate via Chestnut/Walnut Streets in Center City, terminating at 4th and Walnut Streets.
Although route 9 operated in Andorra, the route 9 actually terminated at Ridge-Summit, and would operate Southbound from there. Riders we able to board buses in Andorra, and were instructed to transfer to a bus at Ridge-Summit that would be continuing southbound.
Route 9 would operate virtually un-modified until September 1st 2002, when the Andorra loop was taken off of route 9, and service was cut back to Ridge-Summit Loop. In its place, route 35 and express service on route 61 would instead be extended to operate to Cathedral Road and Wissahickon Avenue.
Ultimately, service to Andorra on route 9 would be restored on November 12th 2006, and buses would operate outbound to Ridge Avenue and Cathedral Road, then make a U-turn to terminate on the Southbound side of Ridge Avenue.
Between June 14th 2009, and February 2022, route 9 would operate on Market Street between 30th Street Station and 23rd Street, due to weight restictions and eventually re-construction of the Chestnut Street bridge over the Schyukil River. Service has since been restored to Chestnut Street.
Other Routes using the same numbers
Route 9 was originally the number assigned to trolley service between 33rd-Dauphin and 7th-Wolf street. This service was discontinued September 20th 1913, replaced with a line that operated between 32nd-York and 4th-Ritner. This too was discontinued January 29th 1956.
New Bus Network Changes
With the New Bus Network, route 9 is to be re-routed to terminate at 5th and Market Streets, but no date was given as of yet.
Timetables
SEPTA Route 9 is active, and you should check SEPTA’s official page for up to date schedules and information. Below are some historic timetables for SEPTA’s bus route 9. These are older (out of date) timetable scans with their effective dates listed. These are posted for archival and historical purposes only, and should not be used for actual trip planning.
- Route 9 Andorra to Independence Mall
- 1992
- 1993
- 1994
- June 25th 1994 Improved Saturday Service and revised Sunday
- 1996
- Route 9 Upper Roxborough to Center City and Independence Mall
- 2006
- Route 9 Andorra, Roxborough, to Center City and Independence Mall
- 2006
- November 12th 2006 Service Extended to Andorra Shopping Center
- 2006
Audio Announcements
Here are the exterior/door audio announcements for SEPTA Route 9