One-seat ride from Ardmore to PHL for $2.00
SEPTA Bus Route 115 is the oddball option that runs from Ardmore’s Suburban Square area to Philadelphia International Airport in about 60–75 minutes, with a $2.00 fare when you tap a SEPTA Key card. It’s aimed at commuters moving between Ardmore, Darby, Delaware County, and the airport, not visitors trying to get from PHL to Center City. Think Main Line and PA‑3/West Chester Pike corridor, not Market Street.
The 115 serves the airport terminals directly, stopping along the roadway for A-East/A-West, B/C, and D/E/F, so you board and exit on the curb, not at the train platforms. According to the SEPTA timetable, buses run roughly every 30–60 minutes depending on time of day, with thinner service late evenings and on weekends. Compared with Routes 37 and 108, the 115’s airport trips show up less often on the schedule.
From Ardmore to PHL, the bus weaves through Darby and several Delaware County neighborhoods before it even hits the airport access roads, which is why locals quote 60–75 minutes for the end-to-end ride even though the drive can be 25–35 minutes by car. Reddit comments from Delco riders flag the route as “cheap but painfully slow,” especially in rush-hour traffic on PA‑3 and through local stop zones.
Boarding with a SEPTA Key card keeps the fare at $2.00 as of 2024, and you can set up auto-reload at any major SEPTA station or machine before you head to Ardmore or PHL. Paying cash on board is slower and requires exact change, which can matter on a long line that already runs behind schedule. If you routinely connect to Regional Rail near Ardmore station, regulars sometimes hop off the 115 early to avoid the slowest segment into Suburban Square.
What regulars know: missing a bus in parts of Delaware County can mean a 30–60 minute wait, so airport workers often plan shift start times around the 115 schedule. There are occasional complaints on r/delco about buses not showing or arriving 15–20 minutes late, plus reports of crowding during morning and afternoon commuter peaks. Visitors headed downtown usually get steered to the Airport Line train instead.
Practical tip: pull the current Route 115 timetable before your trip and treat it as an option only if you live or stay directly along the Ardmore–Darby–PA‑3 corridor; otherwise you’ll waste time backtracking from the wrong side of the metro area.