Philadelphia’s favorite public transportation system is only two weeks away from a union contract deadline.

What does this mean for riders? If the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority doesn’t reach a deal with officials from the Transport Workers Union Local 234, SEPTA’s largest union, then Philly will see the absence of buses, subways and trolleys.

SEPTA’s Regional Rail would still run, since those operators are part of a different union. Service will also not be interrupted on suburban bus or trolley routes. However, city bus routes, in addition to the Broad Street and Market-Frankford lines, will not be in operation.

This is no new experience for Philadelphians, however. The last strike occurred in November 2005 and lasted for seven days. At the time, Temple set up a shuttle service for students along Broad Street that stopped at the subway station cross-streets.

The Temple News provided award-winning coverage on the strike. Read about it here and here.

To prepare, SEPTA has already set up a Service Interruption Guide as an aide to commuters. The Temple News will have continuing coverage on the strike situation.