The SEPTA board voted to approve a proposal to take over a bus route that serves passengers riding among Coatesville, Exton, and West Chester. The estimated cost is $68,000, writes Darryl C. Murphy for WHYY.

Route A has been run by Krapf Transportation, a private company based in West Chester, through the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission since 1982. The route usually carries more than 1,200 passengers a day and costs $2.75 per trip.

However, in the last year, the company’s revenue took a major hit when ridership dropped to around 25 percent of pre-pandemic levels. SEPTA has since provided more than $810,000 in subsidies to Krapf since April 2020 to keep the route going.

According to the transportation agency, Krapf “has been unable to document that it can sustain ongoing bus operations” without receiving the extra financial boost.

As a result, SEPTA — with approval from PennDOT and Chester County officials — plans to run a new bus service on the renamed Route 135 starting Aug. 1.

The new route will expand the Frontier Division that serves Bucks, Chester, and Montgomery counties.

Read more about SEPTA at WHYY.