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  • SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

  • 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/.
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SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

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/.

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Re: SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

 #1509005  by ChesterValley
 
This whole thing is absolutely puzzling to me. I'm used to it because I know the system top to bottom, but for a family of 4 this is stupid. Assuming they didn't use or know about a family pass, they would have to each pay 7 dollars to get down into the city to then buy 4 SEPTA key's for 40 dollars, just to have them sit for a rainy day. With the SEPTA key not supporting passback, how will SEPTA incorporate a family pass into the key?

Looking at the SEPTA key locator, https://www.septakey.org/info/buy-load-locator there are hundreds of service locations to get a Key, but none within a 3 mile radius of Wayne, Newtown square or Media. Why can you get a pack of tickets and "legacy fare's" shipped to your house but you have to drive to a key unit? Why is there no listed KEY machine at the Airport? Of all the places, the Airport?! Why is there no station at Paoli? Amtrak has a unit there, and Amtrak lists the annual ridership at Paoli station as 232,159. Yet they have a key unit out at KOP, serving the 92,99,123,124,115,139, which serve 7058 passengers Daily (extrapolated from 2018 route statistics), whereas the Paoli Thorndale line has a daily average ridership of 19,604 http://septa.org/strategic-plan/reports ... istics.pdf.

Why can you buy a keycard clear up in Allentown but nowhere on the Main line?

Try SEPTA: pay extra to get your farecard, for a small fee of 4.95 and an onboard surcharge of 2 dollars you too can experience the pain of convenience

Re: SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

 #1509070  by JeffK
 
CV, very succinct and well-stated. You might want to send a copy of it to Jason Laughlin, the Inky's transit reporter, or ask about writing an op-ed piece. They've already printed one from a woman who ran into the same pricing idiocy when she made a family train trip.

I'll have to check when I travel next month but IIRC there may now be a TVM at the Airport (one, count it, ONE machine!). I dunno, maybe they finally tossed a bone to people who complained about having to cough up a lot of cash on arrival, esp. overseas visitors who (a) may not have exchanged currency yet and/or (b) were expecting a nice, modern, flexible e-payment system like those at home.

For a very long time I've been trying to find someone in the media who'd be willing to shine a bright light on the level of inconvenience and user-hostility in both the legacy fare system and its electronic clone (a/k/a the Key). Call me cynical, curmudgeonly, or both but I remain convinced that the Key's problems are in large part symptoms of two broader issues at 1234: amateurish project planning, and their infamous "get every last dime" mentality. What's most galling is that the dots are pretty obvious but hardly anyone seems willing or able to connect them publicly. For some reason it's like SEPTA is almost untouchable.

Re: SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

 #1509081  by MACTRAXX
 
Jeff: There are five TVMs at the Airport - at the bottom of the escalators leading to the island
platforms for Terminals A,B,C,D and E. They are the standard Key fare kiosks (never cared for that
name to describe TVMs). They sell two variations of Quick Trip cards for RRD use:

1-$6.75 to all five CCP stations (equals zone 4 weekday one way) and 2-$9.25 Anywhere via CCP.
The main restriction of these QT cards is that they are only valid on the date of sale.
They read 1-CCP and 2-VIA meaning Anywhere via CCP.

Regular legacy RRD tickets are valid for six months - which is quite a difference.
If you can - purchase regular legacy tickets in advance especially if there is any uncertainty about
your plans. I'd rather use a legacy Anywhere via CCP one way knowing the QT card restrictions.

Surprised you never knew about these TVMs - I have mentioned them previously...MACTRAXX

Re: SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

 #1509083  by ChesterValley
 
Part of the problem is SEPTA's disjointed key approach. There are three different maps to locate Key units, Here at SEPTA Buy/Load Locator https://www.septakey.org/info/buy-load-locator which does not list the airport, here at SEPTA External retailers https://www.septa.org/key/external-retailers.html which does list it, and finally here at google maps https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mi ... 84396&z=11 which does not list it.

The most I can find on the Airport line is http://www.septa.org/key/updates/airpor ... trips.html and this https://www.phl.org/Pages/passengerinfo ... nnect.aspx. I do not know if you can buy a key card at the units, although I would suspect, but it you can purchase a quick trip from the airport to Center City.

I have no idea if you can or cannot buy a key card at the station, I have not visited Philly international in a while.

Granted, there is another site where SEPTA has an outdated zone fare map still active https://www.septa.org/fares/new/2013%20 ... ochure.pdf

Re: SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

 #1509138  by mcgrath618
 
ChesterValley wrote:Part of the problem is SEPTA's disjointed key approach. There are three different maps to locate Key units, Here at SEPTA Buy/Load Locator https://www.septakey.org/info/buy-load-locator which does not list the airport, here at SEPTA External retailers https://www.septa.org/key/external-retailers.html which does list it, and finally here at google maps https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mi ... 84396&z=11 which does not list it.

The most I can find on the Airport line is http://www.septa.org/key/updates/airpor ... trips.html and this https://www.phl.org/Pages/passengerinfo ... nnect.aspx. I do not know if you can buy a key card at the units, although I would suspect, but it you can purchase a quick trip from the airport to Center City.

I have no idea if you can or cannot buy a key card at the station, I have not visited Philly international in a while.

Granted, there is another site where SEPTA has an outdated zone fare map still active https://www.septa.org/fares/new/2013%20 ... ochure.pdf
You can indeed buy a key at the station, I was there in September and they had one.

Re: SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

 #1509178  by rcthompson04
 
mcgrath618 wrote:
ChesterValley wrote:Part of the problem is SEPTA's disjointed key approach. There are three different maps to locate Key units, Here at SEPTA Buy/Load Locator https://www.septakey.org/info/buy-load-locator which does not list the airport, here at SEPTA External retailers https://www.septa.org/key/external-retailers.html which does list it, and finally here at google maps https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mi ... 84396&z=11 which does not list it.

The most I can find on the Airport line is http://www.septa.org/key/updates/airpor ... trips.html and this https://www.phl.org/Pages/passengerinfo ... nnect.aspx. I do not know if you can buy a key card at the units, although I would suspect, but it you can purchase a quick trip from the airport to Center City.

I have no idea if you can or cannot buy a key card at the station, I have not visited Philly international in a while.

Granted, there is another site where SEPTA has an outdated zone fare map still active https://www.septa.org/fares/new/2013%20 ... ochure.pdf
You can indeed buy a key at the station, I was there in September and they had one.
You can also buy QuikTrips to go from the Airport to a station on another line for $9.25, which I did once last year.

Re: SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

 #1509192  by R36 Combine Coach
 
MACTRAXX wrote:Regular legacy RRD tickets are valid for six months - which is quite a difference. If you can - purchase regular legacy tickets in advance especially if there is any uncertainty about
your plans.
Tickets can be puchased online.

Re: SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

 #1509292  by JeffK
 
MACTRAXX wrote:Surprised you never knew about these TVMs - I have mentioned them previously...MACTRAXX
I clearly missed those comments, shame on me. When I last asked a PHL info-desk person they said there was only a single machine. Possibly they were thinking in terms of the terminal itself instead of the platform - ??

FWIW I've been able use my Senior Key for the Airport Line without no difficulties. Being over 65 can sometimes be sucky, but free/reduced-fare transit is a nice perk!

Re: SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

 #1509514  by Patrick Boylan
 
the key card I bought and registered and for which I got a confirmatory email yesterday still shows only the $10 I put on the travel wallet, it does not also show the card issue fee.
I just sent [email protected] an email reply,
Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2019 9:41 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: SEPTA Key Registered

when will I see the $4.95 charge as a credit to my travel wallet?
https://septa.org/key/faq.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
"Register your Card within 30 days of the purchase date, the $4.95 purchase fee will automatically be applied to the Card Travel Wallet "


From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, May 23, 2019 7:30 AM
Subject: SEPTA Key Registered

Dear PATRICK BOYLAN:

Your SEPTA Key Card has been registered and enrolled for Balance Protection.

Re: SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

 #1509564  by Patrick Boylan
 
From: SEPTA Key Support <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2019 10:57 AM
To: Patrick Boylan
Subject: RE: SEPTA Key Registered

Good morning
Please give us a call at 855-56-SEPTA so that we can review your account with you.
I really hate it when emails result in phone requests to interminable menues and long wait times with no mention of what they need.
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2019 12:29 PM
To: SEPTA Key Support
Subject: Re: SEPTA Key Registered

tell me what you need so you can tell why you charged my credit card $14.95 yet https://www.septakey.org/account" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; says card 5223110362511534 has only $10

Re: SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

 #1509568  by Patrick Boylan
 
Sent: Friday, May 24, 2019 12:39 PM
To: SEPTA Key Support
Subject: Re: SEPTA Key Registered

by the way, I did phone and after 2 minutes going through your menu I did not hear any option that said how to review my account with you.

Re: SEPTA NPT card will be "SEPTA Key"?

 #1510096  by JeffersonLeeEng
 
jamesinclair wrote:Interesting conversation on this thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/philadelphia/c ... h=37dc120d" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Apparently SEPTA keys start expiring in July,

Apparently you need to purchase a new one ($$) and then hike over to HQ ($$) to transfer your old balance?

Surely that's wrong?
Transit cards should *NOT* have an expiration date. But since some high management thought to put a service/"benefit" nobody wanted in the form of an attached Mastercard account, we're saddled with the process of having to purchase a new card for $4.95 and then lugging our way to someplace in person like 1234 Market to ask them to do a simple balance transfer. :/

And Travel Wallet *still* doesn't work for Regional Rail. :(
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