SEPTA: No More Cloth Seats on the El

Fiberglass will be less gross. Trust us.

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PlanPhilly reports: “SEPTA’s Market Frankford Line (MFL) cars are on their way to getting an interior facelift. Over the next five years, SEPTA will replace the blue, fabric seat upholstery with blue, fiberglass seat panels. The overhead lighting – currently a fluorescent light that shines through yellowed panels – will be replaced with bright, white, energy-efficient LED bulbs. ”

Now you might think cloth is more comfy to sit on than fiberglass. And mostly that’s true, unless you’re in a Market Frankford train, where occasionally there are … fluids to deal with. Fiberglass wipes down easier than cloth. “One of the top complaints we have on the vehicles is the cloth seating,” Ron Hopkins, SEPTA’s assistant general manager, tells PlanPhilly. “A lot of people won’t even sit on the seats.”