Philadelphia’s public transit system is steeped in urban legends. An illusive, unmarked SEPTA bus with no destination, which only appears to some. A mysterious figure following trains on the beams under elevated subway tracks. A supposedly abandoned subway platform that doesn’t exist on any maps. This week’s legends are: The Bus to Nowhere, The Man in the El Tracks, and The Platform that Isn’t There.
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Mirra, Nicholas. “Philly Urban Legends: The Wandering Bus.” Nicholas Mirra: Blog, 18 Feb. 2011, nmirra.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/philly-urban-legends-the-wandering-bus/
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KyranShadows. “Urban Legends, Haunted Places, ETC . - the Bus to Nowhere - Wattpad.” Wattpad.com, www.wattpad.com/640244091-urban-legends-haunted-places-etc-the-bus-to
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“Bus to Nowhere.” Urban Legends Wiki, Fandom, Inc., urbanlegend.fandom.com/wiki/Bus_to_Nowhere
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Kane, Tim. “Teeny Haunts: The Bus to Nowhere.” Tim Kane Books, 5 May 2021, timkanebooks.com/2021/05/05/teeny-haunts-the-bus-to-nowhere/
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Lucia. “Encyclopaedia of the Impossible: The Wandering Bus.” The Ghost in My Machine, 2 Jan. 2019, theghostinmymachine.com/2019/01/02/encyclopaedia-of-the-impossible-the-wandering-bus-to-nowhere-philadelphia-zero-urban-legend/
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Madric Sr., Jonathan Edward. “Jonemad302 on Instagram: "Episode 1: Philly Arc Pt.1.” Instagram, 15 Feb. 2026, www.instagram.com/jonemad302/reel/DUzl6FiDHT8/
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Madric Sr., Jonathan Edward. “Jonemad302 on Instagram: ‘Philly Arc Part 2.’” Instagram, 16 Feb. 2026, www.instagram.com/reel/DU1REaIgTqg/
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Winberg, Michaela. “New Hope for Lonely Broad-Ridge Spur, Part of the Center City Loop That Never Was.” Billy Penn at WHYY, 29 Aug. 2019, billypenn.com/2019/08/29/new-hope-for-the-lonely-broad-ridge-spur-part-of-the-center-city-loop-that-never-was/
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Smith, Sandy. “6 Phantom SEPTA Subways, and Where to Find Them.” Philadelphia Magazine, 20 Aug. 2013, www.phillymag.com/news/2013/08/20/secret-septa-ghost-subways-find-them/
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“SEPTA to Close Ridge Ave. Stop.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 27 July 1989, p. 24, www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/71271252/
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“Subway Station Closed for Good.” Philadelphia Daily News, 11 Sep. 1989, p. 16, https://www.newspapers.com/article/philadelphia-daily-news/71271263/
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“Ridge Ave. Subway to Run Tomorrow.” The Philadelphia Inquirer, 20 Dec 1932, p. 1, https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer/71271924/
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Suchecki, Christian. “The Phantom Station.” Hidden City Philadelphia, 17 Dec. 2012, hiddencityphila.org/2012/12/the-phantom-station/
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Byrnes, Mark. “A Trip inside Philadelphia’s Abandoned Subway Station.” Bloomberg.com, 2 Oct. 2013, www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-10-02/a-trip-inside-philadelphia-s-abandoned-subway-station
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Harrington, Nate. “SEPTA Cuts Have Begun. Here’s What Riders Need to Know about Bus, Train and Regional Rail Routes, Price Increases and More.” WHYY, 29 Aug. 2025, whyy.org/articles/septa-cuts-begin/
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Trains Staff. “SEPTA Begins Using New Labels for Urban Rail Service.” TrainsPRO, 24 Feb. 2025, www.trains.com/pro/passenger/rapid-transit/septa-begins-using-new-labels-for-urban-rail-service/
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Vitarelli, Alicia, and 6abc Digital Staff. “SEPTA Metro? Transit Agency Mulling Big Changes Including New Name, Map and Signage.” 6abc Philadelphia, 8 Sept. 2021, 6abc.com/post/septa-transportation-public-transit-navigation-city-commuting/11007031/?userab=abcn_du_cat_topic_feature_holdout-474
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“Wayfinding Recommendations - SEPTA Rebranding.” Archive.org, web.archive.org/web/20210907141259/planning.septa.org/projects/wayfinding-master-plan/recommendations/
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“About | SEPTA.” Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, wwww.septa.org/about/
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SEPTA Blog. “Happy Almost 60! .” Septa.org, 17 Feb. 2023, wwww.septa.org/news/thisis59/