Route 79
Overview
System	Southern District[1]
Operator	SEPTA City Transit Division
Began service	1912 (1912) (trolleys) 1956 (1956) (bus service) 1961 (1961) (trackless trolleys) 2003 (2003) (bus service)
Route
Locale	Philadelphia
Communities served	South Philadelphia,Point Breeze
Start	29th & Snyder Streets
Via	Snyder Avenue
End	Columbus Commons
Length	3.0 mi (4.8 km)[1]
Service
Ridership	5,066 (2019 weekday average)[1]
Annual patronage	1,519,800 (FY2019)
Timetable	Route 79 schedule
Route map 29th Street 20th Street (17 to 20th & Johnston) 19th Street (17 toPenn's Landing) Broad Street 12th Street (45 to Broad & Oregon) 11th Street (45 to 11th & Noble) 8th Street (47 to Whitman Plaza) 7th Street (47 to 5th & Godfrey) Columbus Boulevard Legend Bus/trolley services Subway/rail services Map only shows major stops and high-frequency route connections. This diagram: view talk edit ← 78  City Transit Division  80 →

Route 79 is a formerstreetcar andtrackless trolley line and currentbus route, operated by theSoutheastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) inSouth Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, United States. The line runs between thePoint Breeze neighborhood and the vicinity of Pier 70 along theDelaware River. It became part of thePhiladelphia trolley bus system when trackless trolleys (the local term for trolley buses) replaced buses in 1961.^[2] Trackless trolley service was suspended in 2003,^[3] and the authority later decided against restoring trackless trolley service.Trolley cars had previously served Route 79 from 1912 until 1956.^[2]

The line begins at 29th Street and Snyder Avenue, and then heads east along Snyder Avenue. At 25th Street, a viaduct above the street and the line is for a formerPennsylvania Railroad rail spur designed to serve neighborhood industries. Major intersections along this line include 22nd Street, Passyunk Avenue, andBroad Street, where commuters can connect toSnyder station on theBroad Street Line, along with a RiteChoice Pharmacy, which serves as an auxiliary bus stop forGreyhound and other intercity buses. The next major crossings are at 12th and 11th Streets which carry the southbound and northbound segments ofRoute 45, originally the southern portion of Route 23.

Just east ofFront Street and underI-95, Route 79 runs through Snyder Plaza. Besides the formerRoute 29 trolley bus, other connections to Route 79 in this area include SEPTA bus routes7,25,64. Eastbound buses turn north on Dilworth Street until they reach Columbus Boulevard, near Pier 70. The route then turns down Columbus Boulevard until it reaches Snyder Street and head west again before passing by another shopping center known as Columbus Commons.

All buses areADA-compliant, and contain bicycle racks. Overnight "Night Owl" service is available.

Route 79 opened as astreetcar line along Snyder Avenue on January 1, 1912.^[2] It was converted to buses on October 28, 1956, and less than five years later was converted to trackless trolley service, on June 18, 1961.^[2] The route was operated by thePhiladelphia Transportation Company from 1940 to 1968.^[2]

In 2002–2003, all five SEPTA routes that were using trolley buses were indefinitely converted to diesel buses –SEPTA Routes 59,66, and75 in June 2002 and Route 29 in mid- to late February 2003.^[4] On Route 79, trolley buses were used in service for the last time on June 30, 2003.^[5] At the time, Route 79's service had been the last remaining trolley bus service in Philadelphia,^[6] and the 2003 cessation of trolley bus service was expected to be permanent, on all five routes.^[5] However, in early 2004 SEPTA began to consider reinstating trolley bus service at Frankford Division after the authority was informed that it would be required to repay someFederal Transit Administration funds used in the 2002–2006 renovation of thatgarage (including renewal of the yard wires) if trolley bus service did not resume.^[7]

Ultimately, trolley bus service on Routes 59, 66 and 75 was restored in 2008, with new trolley buses.^[8] A proposal to restore trolley bus service along Route 79 (along with 29) was considered by SEPTA in 2006, after the authority had placed an order for 38 new trolley buses for the three reinstated routes. However, in October 2006 the SEPTA board voted against any further consideration of purchasing new trolley buses to allow Routes 29 or 79 to be restored, a decision that effectively eliminated the possibility that trolley bus service might return to either of the two routes.^[9]

As part of a pilot program, in 2016 SEPTA placed an order for 25 newbattery electric buses fromProterra, Inc.^[10] They, along with two overhead charging stations, were purchased using a $2.6-millionFederal Transit Administration grant, entering service on routes 29 and 79 in 2017, returning electric propulsion to these routes after nearly 15 years of diesel operation.^[11] However, the buses were pulled from service in February 2020 following the discovery of cracks in the bus frames.^[12] Combined with a battery fire involving one of these buses at a SEPTA depot and the bankruptcy of Proterra, Inc., this has led to the expectation that the buses will not return to service.^[13]

On March 23, 2023, SEPTA released a new draft plan for Bus Revolution, SEPTA's bus network redesign. As part of the plan, Route 79 would be extended to40th Street station via University Avenue to provide better connections fromSouth Philadelphia toUniversity City,West Philadelphia, and theMarket-Frankford Line. The line would also be extended on its eastern end to shopping at Pier 70. These changes remained in the final plan, which was approved on May 23, 2024.^[14][15]

• Trolleybuses in Philadelphia

• SEPTA Route 79 (Official Map and Schedule)
• Photos of SEPTA Route 79 Trackless Trolleys

• SEPTA former trolley lines
• Philadelphia-area trackless trolleys
• SEPTA bus routes

• Use mdy dates from February 2025