SEPTA's Owl Link begins Monday at 10 p.m. through 6 a.m. picking up passengers along bus routes 14 ( Horizon Boulevard), 56 (Torresdale and Cottman Loop) and 66 (City Line Loup) through Philadelphia and into Bensalem.
The nighttime public transit link will operate seven days a week as an on-demand service, a SEPTA news release Tuesday states.
The new transit line will take employees to and from bus stops nearest to about a dozen local businesses in Bensalem, Bristol Township, Bristol Borough and Middletown.
Current businesses include Woodhaven Mall in Bensalem, the Keystone Industrial Park and the Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol Township.
The link was created to close what a SEPTA officials described as the "first-and-last mile transit gap, or the distance between an existing transit stop and a destination."
SEPTA partnered with Via, a New York-based company specializing in on-demand, small group transportation like small shuttle buses.
"This on-demand service will help ensure that third-shift workers have safe, reliable and affordable options as they plan for job-related travel," SEPTA General Manager Leslie S. Richards said in the release.
There is no charge to use the link, but riders do have to have a SEPTA Key card — a kind of refillable debit card SEPTA offers as a contactless and cash-free fare paying system.
Richards added the new transit link is a pilot program that could see increased access if demand dictates.
Richard Brahler, director of transportation for the county, said Wednesday the service will help shift workers access their jobs better since most SEPTA routes in Bucks stop at 10 p.m. He said it is vital as there are more jobs that offer late night and overnight shifts, including in warehouses and other businesses.
In order to use the link, riders will need to make reservations via the SEPTA Owl Link Mobile App, or call 215-580-7114.
A reservation can be made anywhere between one week to 30 minutes before a pick-up time.
More information about the link and can be found at www.septa.org/owllink.
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