SEPTA fare changes

[zebrasepta]

https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2020/ ... on-others/

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — SEPTA is proposing fare restructuring that could help some riders, while putting the pinch on others. The transit agency unveiled a new fare plan on Wednesday.

• The discounted rate for riders with disabilities will remain the same.

• The $2.50 cash base fare will remain unchanged.

• Customers will be allowed one free transfer to better serve low-income communities and promote efficient travel.

• The currently discounted travel wallet fare will increase from $2 to $2.50 on transit.

• Children age 5 to 11 will be able to ride for $1 on transit and regional rail. Right now they pay full price on transit, half on regional rail.

• SEPTA is also introducing a three-day pass good for 72 hours after its first use.

[MACTRAXX]

ZS and Everyone:

This is the SEPTA news briefing about this fare increase proposal:
http://www.septa.org/media/releases/2020/3-11-20.html

The Travel Wallet Fare rises to $2.50 - which is the same as the current cash or
Quick Trip fare.
The first transfer (90 minutes to two hours) will be free; a second will cost $1.

A Three Day Convenience Pass for Transit Riders valid for 72 hours from first use.
Will the total be 24 rides (8 rides daily times three) the same as previous CVPs?

An average increase for Trailpasses of 6%; A $1 increase for Weekly Transpasses
and $3 for Monthly Transpasses.
Will there be any changes concerning ride caps on any pass type?

The interesting part is going to see how SEPTA handles Regional Rail one way and
10 ride tickets.
The current tariff states that SEPTA will give 60 days notice for any changes to RRD
tickets of their valid period (currently six months from date of sale) and when these
tickets may be phased out or discontinued.

The full fare plan is scheduled to be posted on Friday March 20.
Public hearings (10) will begin on April 20.
This fare increase is scheduled to become effective on July 1, 2020.
MACTRAXX

[JeffK]

The new 3-day pass will make life a bit easier for visitors, but the ongoing lack of multiple-tap functionality still hits families and other groups who may be making only occasional trips. However the glaringly obvious hole in this plan is that it does ZERO to address the Pew study's finding that SEPTA's fare structure puts a much higher burden on those with the fewest resources. Nobody's suggesting SEPTA should be a charity service, but with 20-25% of the city's population either under- or un-banked an attitude of "well, everyone should just get a Key card" is neither practical nor acceptable.

It's not quite "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" but it's baked in the same pan.

[mcgrath618]

The new 3-day pass will make life a bit easier for visitors, but the ongoing lack of multiple-tap functionality still hits families and other groups who may be making only occasional trips. However the glaringly obvious hole in this plan is that it does ZERO to address the Pew study's finding that SEPTA's fare structure puts a much higher burden on those with the fewest resources. Nobody's suggesting SEPTA should be a charity service, but with 20-25% of the city's population either under- or un-banked an attitude of "well, everyone should just get a Key card" is neither practical nor acceptable.

It's not quite "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche" but it's baked in the same pan.

How does eliminating transfer fees (albeit only one fee at a time) not directly address that?

[ryan92084]

I don't see the regional all the regional rail fares addressed in the link above but they are included here

Screen-Shot-2020-03-11-at-11.42.26-AM.png (130.62 KiB) Viewed 2949 times

Source link for that image and more https://whyy.org/articles/septa-propose ... nsfer-fee/

[JeffK]

How does eliminating transfer fees (albeit only one fee at a time) not directly address that?

According to SEPTA’s website transfer fees are being eliminated for Key holders but not for cash-fare riders. The Pew study emphasized that low-income riders are much less likely to have Keys. They cited a number of reasons including difficulty in obtaining and/or maintaining a card because of limited access to banking and internet services. Even the ~$10 up-front cost can be an impediment for the poorest users. Families who used to be able to pay for all members using fungible tokens now have to buy and maintain separate Key cards for each person.

These issues are non-problems for those of us who have nice middle-class lives with regular incomes and full access to banks and the Web. For someone at or below the poverty line, relying on shift work, gig jobs, etc. they can be significant speed bumps to having a Key.

No one’s advocating for a return to tokens, but certainly SEPTA needs to provide some instrument that offers at least some of the flexibility that the Key took away.

[mcgrath618]

How does eliminating transfer fees (albeit only one fee at a time) not directly address that?

According to SEPTA’s website transfer fees are being eliminated for Key holders but not for cash-fare riders. The Pew study emphasized that low-income riders are much less likely to have Keys. They cited a number of reasons including difficulty in obtaining and/or maintaining a card because of limited access to banking and internet services. Even the ~$10 up-front cost can be an impediment for the poorest users. Families who used to be able to pay for all members using fungible tokens now have to buy and maintain separate Key cards for each person.

These issues are non-problems for those of us who have nice middle-class lives with regular incomes and full access to banks and the Web. For someone at or below the poverty line, relying on shift work, gig jobs, etc. they can be significant speed bumps to having a Key.

No one’s advocating for a return to tokens, but certainly SEPTA needs to provide some instrument that offers at least some of the flexibility that the Key took away.

The upfront cost is $5 that you get back towards your travel wallet.

[93r8g7]

Regarding the Key thing, what about people that simply don't want a Key, find it inconvenient and tire of the Authority holding a gun to their head to buy a faulty product they don't want? It's astounding the authority still has no intention of free transfers for cash paying customers, or disabled customers that pay cash. Their answer to these individuals is flipping the bird. There's not enough machines anyway. Solve that issue first before demanding more in fares simply for the crime of paying a certain way.

[ryan92084]

It'll be just like the ezpass in PA, want to pay less and get perks? get a card. Don't want a card? too bad.

[JeffK]

The upfront cost is $5 that you get back towards your travel wallet.

Yes, of course - but you still have to initially "float" the extra money which can be a problem for some people. The study notes that families making less than $35K a year are less likely to own a car and rely on SEPTA for all travel. Multi-tap functionality is still a future promise meaning they need a separate card for each person. Moreover they're far less likely to have bank accounts and internet access and have to reload cards in person, which itself can require an extra trip. It's another example of the so-called "poor tax" where low-income individuals don't have the resources to gain initial entry to options that will save them money longer-term. It's analogous to the people you see dumping penny jars into Coinstar machines because they don't have a bank where they can deposit the coins, then sucking up the "convenience" fee because a gift card to Sephora or Starbucks isn't exactly in their corner of the economic world.

I agree that NO ONE should find in a situation where $5 or$10 is an impediment, but that's not the case. With a substantial minority of Philadelphians living paycheck to paycheck, SEPTA's policies are an added burden.

https://www.inquirer.com/transportation ... 90724.html
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/26-place ... 00873.html

It'll be just like the EZpass in PA, want to pay less and get perks? get a card. Don't want a card? too bad.

Using the turnpike isn't a matter of "want", it's an option because you can choose alternate roads even if they're slower. Plus it's far more likely that someone using the turnpike every day is going to a job that pays more than minimum wage and lets them afford an EZPass' $35 up-front cost.

Nobody's asking SEPTA to be a charity provider but the Key is tilted against the lower end of the income spectrum. The dilemma could have been avoided if SEPTA hadn't taken a "Key card or else" approach before the Key's unintended consequences could be worked out.

[Patrick Boylan]

The $4.95 registration fee reimbursement is good only on 2 cards per account. This is obviously another GOTCHA revenue source, but why garner such bad feeling from customers? Once burned I'm sure people will try to remember to open multiple accounts to register the extra cards, and most families must surely need more than 2 cards, at least those families that have 2 parents and at least one child. But those burned people I'm sure will also have another reason to hate SEPTA.

[MACTRAXX]

Everyone:

SEPTA has posted the fare information proposed to be effective July 1, 2020:
http://septa.org/notice/fy-21-operating ... otice.html

Virtual Online hearings are scheduled for April 22 and 27 at 11 AM and 6 PM.

Take note to these Regional Rail proposed fare changes:

There will be THREE fare levels for Weekday and Weekend (Saturday & Sunday) fares:
1-On Key Card; 2-Ticket Office and 3-On Board. Weekend fares are to be retained.

10 trip tickets currently available in the "strip" form will be replaced by using the Key.

And - The proposed 3-day Convenience Pass for Transit is listed as a "future product".

With the current problems going forward these meetings should be postponed and rescheduled so those interested can attend.

Without adequate notice these hearings may be overlooked by the General Public.

Can this fare increase be postponed to later in the year?
MACTRAXX

[ryan92084]

I don't know how flexible the June 1st to implement fare changes is. Assuming it isn't then the hearings will have to go on as scheduled most likely.

[JimBoylan]

The joint fare with PATCo is proposed to cost the same as the Cash fare of $2.50 and have no transfer privileges. There had been a discount.

[daybeers]

Interesting discussion on the SEPTA Key and fare equity. So as of now, are transfers not free if you're using cash or are they not possible? Sorry, I've never used SEPTA

I like the reduction in the child fare from $2.50 to $1 for up to 3 children between 5 and 11 years old.