iPhone App · On the App Store since August 19, 2026
Philly Trolleys
See where SEPTA's vintage 1940s PCC trolleys are running on the G Line (Girard Avenue) right now, and plan a ride on a piece of Philadelphia transit history.
The Problem It Solves
The PCC cars share the route with buses and do not run every day. This app tracks the trolleys specifically, tells you which cars are out, where each one is heading, and how to reach the line from any SEPTA Metro or Regional Rail station.
What You Get
- Live trolley positions on the G Line, refreshed every minute
- Directions to the nearest pickup point from any Metro or Regional Rail station, with live train and trolley times
- Trolley alerts, your way: one notification a day when the first PCC car appears, or one for every car that starts running
- Stop alerts: save your G Line stop and direction, and get a notification when a PCC car is a few stops away
- Home screen and lock screen widgets showing how many PCC cars are out and which ones
- Service analytics: typical hours, busiest days, the car roster, and the record books
- Works underground: the app remembers the last positions and analytics it saw and shows them, labeled with their time, until you are back online
The Fine Print
- Price
- $4.99 once. No subscriptions, no ads, no accounts, no tracking.
- Requires
- iPhone with iOS 17 or later. United States App Store.
- Released
- August 19, 2026 (version 1.0)
- Data
- Vehicle positions and schedules come from SEPTA's public data feeds.
- Independence
- An independent project made in Philadelphia. Not affiliated with SEPTA.
Why I Built It
On a more, let's say, human level, my app simply makes it easy for would-be riders to know what kind of vehicle is coming to take them where they are trying to go. Much of public transit comes down to managing expectations: people like to know what is coming and when it is coming. It is not so much to ask.
That is from What’s Up With You and Trolleys?, the essay that opened this site. It is the long answer.