Philadelphia PHLASH

Philadelphia PHLASH
A Philly Phlash New Flyer MiDi bus
Overview
Operator	Independence Visitor Center Corporation Operated by SEPTA and Krapf's Transit
Status	Operational
Began service	1994[1]
Routes
Routes	1
Locale	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Stations	22

The Philadelphia PHLASH (also known as the Philly PHLASH) is a tourist bus route in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that started operations in the year 1994. The bus route is particularly notable for connecting Philadelphia's main tourist attractions such as the Independence Hall/Liberty Bell, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Penn's Landing.^[2] The route mainly operates during the daytime and mainly around major holidays catering mainly to tourists who are not familiar with the city landscape.^[3]

The major attractions served are:

• Independence Hall / Liberty Bell
• Penn's Landing
• Philadelphia Museum of Art
• Philadelphia Zoo^[4]

Tourist bus, the Philly Phlash, in back of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Route history

In 1994, the route was run by the Center City District. The route ownership was transferred to the Independence Visitor Center Corporation (IVCC) in an attempt to avert a shutdown of the route. In 2014, SEPTA lobbied Harrisburg for more funding, which got approval that year for $900,000 with an additional $250,000 from SEPTA. The route operation was eventually awarded to Krapf's Transit for the operation, though the IVCC oversees its operations.^[5] Starting in 2016, the service opened in May, which is earlier than in previous seasons.^[6]

References

1. "Once nearly grounded, Philly Phlash rides on".
2. "Philly PHLASH".
3. "Philadelphia PHLASH Downtown Bus Loop".
4. "Phlash-SEPTA".
5. "You'll never believe who kept the Philly Phlash from shutting down".
6. "Philly Phlash is back up and running".