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  • SEPTA Rider phone home!

  • Discussion relating to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Philadelphia Metro Area). Official web site can be found here: www.septa.com. Also including discussion related to the PATCO Speedline rapid transit operated by Delaware River Port Authority. Official web site can be found here: http://www.ridepatco.org/.
Discussion relating to Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Philadelphia Metro Area). Official web site can be found here: www.septa.com. Also including discussion related to the PATCO Speedline rapid transit operated by Delaware River Port Authority. Official web site can be found here: http://www.ridepatco.org/.

Moderator: AlexC

 #938053  by bth8446
 
I am a regulary rider, boarding at Hatboro station. I had need to do a Saturday trip from Chalfont station (R5 Doylestown side).
While at the station, I dedided to call home to make the family aware of my status.

I had forgoten my cell phone.

To my surprise, there was no pay phone at the location. I was out of luck.

So, a few days later, I was around my home station of Hatboro. Usually, I don't approach the station from the parking lot. I use a northern entrance and don't approach the station house.

I had my kids with me. Out of curiosity, we went to the parking lot side of the station house. Where there was formerly 2 pay phones, now there
were none. No pay phones for passengers there either.

Times are changing. Cell phones have killed the pay phone even in high traffic areas such as train stations
 #938092  by tgolanos
 
Roslyn still has its pay phone. And it still randomly rings, waiting for someone to answer...
 #938350  by railfan32
 
At my train station (on the R5 Paoli line), there were pay-phones, but they took them out when the new station signs were being installed along the line.
 #938555  by glennk419
 
tgolanos wrote:Roslyn still has its pay phone. And it still randomly rings, waiting for someone to answer...
Funny that you mentioned that as I've heard it ring as well. There's also still a payphone at the Lukoil across Easton Road from the station but yes, they are becoming quite rare.
 #942106  by Silverliner II
 
Back on a trip to Toronto in 2005, I actually saw a telephone BOOTH on the southeast corner of King and Spadina. The booth was intact.... except for the missing telephone inside.

That booth is gone now, a victim of the building that went up on the then-vacant lot in 2009.
 #942113  by Patrick Boylan
 
Some phones are starting to disappear from NJT Riverline stations. I haven't noticed any pattern, for example it doesn't seem as if they started from Trenton and removed phones as they went south.

I think I read in the Washington DC forum that WMATA removed all phones from subway stations years ago.
 #942123  by Launcher
 
I believe Jenkintown still has one outbound phone, but Glenside lost several inbound and outbound, during or right before recent renovation of the outbound platform.
 #942276  by rslitman
 
Matthew Mitchell wrote:Verizon was removing the phones from Market East last week.
At such a big station, I would think they'd be able to keep at least one pay phone for those who have forgotten or lost their cell phones or their phone broke or their battery is dead or they just haven't embraced this technology.

On June 15, I happened to notice a couple of pay phones at Suburban Station. They were close to the stairway that leads upstairs to the back of the building (near the chain drug store [Walgreen's? CVS? I don't think it's Rite-Aid] that's on the street level). I wonder how long they will still be there.

I think the pay phone at West Trenton, which I actually used a few times in the early 2000s, before I started carrying a cell phone on a daily basis, is still there. It is not a Verizon phone. A few cab companies have left their business cards next to it. They rely on business from people who took the train there thinking they were going to Trenton. Since the 608 NJT bus only runs to Trenton from there in the afternoon rush hour, any other time, the choices are to go all the way back to Center City and switch or to call a cab.
 #942343  by kyleg
 
There's a huge sign on the side of the North Hills ticket office that says something like "FOR EMERGENCIES USE PAYPHONE AND DIAL '911' " in huge letters with an arrow pointing to the left. Of course there's no phone there or even the remains of one. Hopefully no one will ever have an emergency at that station and be looking for that phone.
 #942391  by SubwayTim
 
I feel that ALL train stations should have at least one payphone, because I imagine there are still a LOT of people who don't have cell phones...as well as those who have forgotten their cell phones when leaving home or work, which I have done on several occasions. Also, if someone waiting for a train got robbed and there is no payphone, how would they call for help??? Whenever I read or hear on the news about someone being robbed, the thug(s) almost always take the victim's cell phone, along with their money, wallet, jewelry, etc., probably to make it harder for the victim to call the police.
 #943229  by kyleg
 
SubwayTim wrote:I feel that ALL train stations should have at least one payphone, because I imagine there are still a LOT of people who don't have cell phones...as well as those who have forgotten their cell phones when leaving home or work, which I have done on several occasions. Also, if someone waiting for a train got robbed and there is no payphone, how would they call for help??? Whenever I read or hear on the news about someone being robbed, the thug(s) almost always take the victim's cell phone, along with their money, wallet, jewelry, etc., probably to make it harder for the victim to call the police.
I agree. I was robbed at Fern Rock once and my cell phone was taken, so fortunately I was able to run up to the station cashier. That station does have call boxes, but most don't, so if it was another station, I may have been SOL. I don't know if payphones are necessary, but each station should have some type of emergency call box.
 #943238  by SubwayTim
 
kyleg wrote:
SubwayTim wrote:I feel that ALL train stations should have at least one payphone, because I imagine there are still a LOT of people who don't have cell phones...as well as those who have forgotten their cell phones when leaving home or work, which I have done on several occasions. Also, if someone waiting for a train got robbed and there is no payphone, how would they call for help??? Whenever I read or hear on the news about someone being robbed, the thug(s) almost always take the victim's cell phone, along with their money, wallet, jewelry, etc., probably to make it harder for the victim to call the police.
I agree. I was robbed at Fern Rock once and my cell phone was taken, so fortunately I was able to run up to the station cashier. That station does have call boxes, but most don't, so if it was another station, I may have been SOL. I don't know if payphones are necessary, but each station should have some type of emergency call box.
Not to stray off-topic, but the reason for robbers to take their victims' cell phones during a hold-up, is to make it tougher for the victim to report the incident, or to get money from selling it at a pawn shop, or both??? It probably wouldn't hurt to carry two cell phones, so you can have one as a back up in case of such an incident...just keep it out of sight so the robber wouldn't know you have it.