SEPTA helps Amish group visit Philadelphia Zoo

Katherine Scott Image
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
VIDEO: SEPTA helps Amish group to zoo
SEPTA officials helped get an Amish group from the country to the Philadelphia Zoo.

CENTER CITY (WPVI) -- From the farmlands of Lancaster County to the Philadelphia Zoo, a group of visitors from Peach Bottom, Pennsylvania wanted help navigating the city and SEPTA was happy to step in.

"We got a web form through a woman in Lancaster who said she was assisting a large group of folks from the Amish country," SEPTA Assistant General Manger Kim Scott Heinle said.

Now that summer is here and more people are coming to town, SEPTA wants visitors to know their customer service can help plan your trip.

There were 62 people in this group, but they assist groups of any size.

Just ask for the customer service department and you'll be transferred to a specialist.

"We encourage people who are coming in groups to get in touch with them to help them plan their day and make things go as seamlessly and as fun as possible," Heinle said.

Once SEPTA learned their destination was the zoo, it was time to plan a route.

One of the men told me they can't get their driver's licenses but they do ride.

They could have taken a bus the whole way, but didn't want to miss out on the fun of the train.

On Wednesday morning, their train pulled into 30th Street Station via Amtrak's Keystone Express, A representative greeted them and helped with the transfer to get them to Jefferson Station in Center City.

From there they boarded a Phlash bus, which took them to the zoo.

The group was made up of dairy farmers. They milked the cows earlier in the morning and they tailored their trip to the zoo to be back in time to milk them 12 hours later.

"We want people comfortable coming to the city and coming to SEPTA. Don't be hesitant about asking questions. We're going to personalize the service as much as we can to your needs," Heinle said.