Railroad Forums 

  • 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/.
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

 #1552600  by ExCon90
 
Yes, forget the trolley--the doors are narrow and the interior steps are steep. As to the Regional Rail fare, I don't know but can only assume it's the one-zone fare, whatever that is now.
 #1552628  by BuddCar711
 
ExCon90 wrote:Yes, forget the trolley--the doors are narrow and the interior steps are steep. As to the Regional Rail fare, I don't know but can only assume it's the one-zone fare, whatever that is now.
Well the doors are narrow, but the steps are not steep. I have bad knees but I find it easier to board a K-car than a low-floor bus because the first step of a K-car is lower than the floor of the bus (even when the bus kneels). Hell I find it easier to board a N.J. Transit NABI than a New Flyer low floor. Anyhoo, back to railroading.
 #1552673  by ExCon90
 
ExCon90 wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 12:03 am Historically, going back to PRR days, tickets to or from Philadelphia included the connecting trains to Suburban Station; when the Center City connection was opened under SEPTA that was extended to include Market East, as it was then called, and an Amtrak ticket stub was all you needed. Now that ticket stubs (and tickets) are things of the past I don't know how this is handled. In practice, what normally happened was that if you boarded a train at 30th St. terminating at Temple U (i.e. Roberts yard) or at Jefferson or Suburban terminating at 30th St. you would be asked for a ticket when boarding--otherwise tickets were not checked on board trains in Center City.

(Edit Sept. 16) In making that post I overlooked that SEPTA, in its frenzied pursuit of the last dime --at any cost--has installed barriers at all platforms in Center City. When they were being introduced they weren't staffed at all times, but they may be by now. They were still staffed to some extent anyway to deal with situations that weren't foreseen by the planners, but you had better plan on being asked to show some proof of payment to be admitted to a platform.

I haven't been in Center City at all recently--anybody know how it's done currently?
 #1552702  by ryan92084
 
jamesinclair wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 2:50 pm I am planning a trip with someone who has mobility issues. They are arriving via Amtrak from the south. I will be waiting for them at the station, arriving via Trenton.

Their Amtrak ticket is supposed to entitle them to a free ride to Market East. So I want to know how much my ticket would be.

It is my recollection that the regional rail path of travel has more elevator/escalator options than the trolley.

I am also considering the independence ticket for my fare, but it is also incredibly confusing. It says theres a $5 up-charge to Trenton, but how and where is that paid if they arent accepting cash?
So you are going from Trenton to 30th street to meet your friend then back to Suburban? The correct cheapest cost would be a via ticket for $9.25 (9.00 on board due to a pricing glitch but with no on board cash i assume that isn't true anymore).

Independence pass would be $18 total. I don't know how they are handling the extra $5 sorry but unless Trenton station even sells the paper Independence pass anymore that won't even be an option I don't think.
 #1552719  by jamesinclair
 
ryan92084 wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 10:38 am
jamesinclair wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 2:50 pm I am planning a trip with someone who has mobility issues. They are arriving via Amtrak from the south. I will be waiting for them at the station, arriving via Trenton.

Their Amtrak ticket is supposed to entitle them to a free ride to Market East. So I want to know how much my ticket would be.

It is my recollection that the regional rail path of travel has more elevator/escalator options than the trolley.

I am also considering the independence ticket for my fare, but it is also incredibly confusing. It says theres a $5 up-charge to Trenton, but how and where is that paid if they arent accepting cash?
So you are going from Trenton to 30th street to meet your friend then back to Suburban? The correct cheapest cost would be a via ticket for $9.25 (9.00 on board due to a pricing glitch but with no on board cash i assume that isn't true anymore).

Independence pass would be $18 total. I don't know how they are handling the extra $5 sorry but unless Trenton station even sells the paper Independence pass anymore that won't even be an option I don't think.
I saw on the website that since you cant pay cash on board, there is an exit fare machine downtown which charges less than the Trenton ticket office charges.

Customers who board a train without a fare who want to pay cash will now have to pay in Center City Before Exiting the Station

New EXIT ONLY Fare Kiosks are located at mezzanine or concourse level of the Center/City Station INSIDE the paid fare area
Weekday Exit Quick Trip - $6.75
Evening/Weekend Exit Quick Trip - $5.25

But my gosh the website is horrendous and this took awhile to find. Fare SHOULD NOT be this hard. In fact, it should be the clearest and easiest part of the process. Imagine if Amazon made you read through pages and pages of plain text to figure out how much something costs.
 #1552765  by ryan92084
 
Good to know the exit only fares. They are not part of the official tariff provided and more of a temporary measure/pricing while the new system goes into full adoption as far as I understand them so that may be why they are so hidden.
The via ticket if available from Trenton station is still your cheapest option since it covers both legs of your journey. Unless you manage to dodge ticket check/stamp/collection and return the 30th to suburban ticket or intend to use other means of travel after 30th.
The whole pricing system was supposed to be updated in July but there have been some issues to say the least.
 #1552787  by jamesinclair
 
ryan92084 wrote: Fri Sep 18, 2020 9:11 am Good to know the exit only fares. They are not part of the official tariff provided and more of a temporary measure/pricing while the new system goes into full adoption as far as I understand them so that may be why they are so hidden.
The via ticket if available from Trenton station is still your cheapest option since it covers both legs of your journey. Unless you manage to dodge ticket check/stamp/collection and return the 30th to suburban ticket or intend to use other means of travel after 30th.
The whole pricing system was supposed to be updated in July but there have been some issues to say the least.
Does the via/tunnel ticket allow me to exit the platform at 30th and re-enter it? Ive been to 30th many times - my friend never has, so it's easier for me to say "ill meet you by the customer service desk in the middle of the giant train hall" instead of trying to direct them to septa-land.
 #1552799  by ExCon90
 
jamesinclair wrote: Thu Sep 17, 2020 1:46 pm

Customers who board a train without a fare who want to pay cash will now have to pay in Center City Before Exiting the Station
If there's no more cash on the trains does that mean if someone gets on at Devon without a ticket and wants to go to Ardmore there's no way they can pay a fare? What about Devon to Del Val College on the same train? Or Yardley, changing trains at Suburban?
 #1552823  by CNJGeep
 
On board cash fare sales have been restored as of today. Prior to this, it was at the crew member's discretion.
 #1552833  by ryan92084
 
jamesinclair wrote: Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:11 pm
Does the via/tunnel ticket allow me to exit the platform at 30th and re-enter it? Ive been to 30th many times - my friend never has, so it's easier for me to say "ill meet you by the customer service desk in the middle of the giant train hall" instead of trying to direct them to septa-land.
Yes, it allows you to ride two trains of different lines on the same day which is exactly what you'll be doing. You can take as much time between them as you'd like.
 #1552892  by jamesinclair
 
ryan92084 wrote: Fri Sep 18, 2020 9:54 pm
jamesinclair wrote: Fri Sep 18, 2020 2:11 pm
Does the via/tunnel ticket allow me to exit the platform at 30th and re-enter it? Ive been to 30th many times - my friend never has, so it's easier for me to say "ill meet you by the customer service desk in the middle of the giant train hall" instead of trying to direct them to septa-land.
Yes, it allows you to ride two trains of different lines on the same day which is exactly what you'll be doing. You can take as much time between them as you'd like.
Excellent, that sounds like what Im looking for, unless someone knows how the independence pass works in regards to purchasing in Trenton and using it for the day
 #1553666  by ryan92084
 
Reminder that the last day for ticket sales of all types is planned for Friday for most/all septa locations. This includes all types of fares regardless of their availability on the key card. Anyone that is a ten trip customer may want to stock up a 5 month supply since there is still not a key card discounted ride replacement.

Anyone using the unlimited rides from the "paper" Independence pass or may want a family Independence pass in the near future would be wise to buy in advance as well just watch the validity years printed on the pass.

Since SEPTA has done little to notify the public about this cutoff date I wouldn't be surprised if enough customer backlash causes a back peddling.
 #1553844  by rcthompson04
 
ryan92084 wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 10:24 am Reminder that the last day for ticket sales of all types is planned for Friday for most/all septa locations. This includes all types of fares regardless of their availability on the key card. Anyone that is a ten trip customer may want to stock up a 5 month supply since there is still not a key card discounted ride replacement.

Anyone using the unlimited rides from the "paper" Independence pass or may want a family Independence pass in the near future would be wise to buy in advance as well just watch the validity years printed on the pass.

Since SEPTA has done little to notify the public about this cutoff date I wouldn't be surprised if enough customer backlash causes a back peddling.
The low utilization at the moment means the changes won’t be known by most for months.
 #1553877  by MACTRAXX
 
rcthompson04 wrote: Fri Oct 02, 2020 1:04 pm
ryan92084 wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 10:24 am Reminder that the last day for ticket sales of all types is planned for Friday for most/all septa locations. This includes all types of fares regardless of their availability on the key card. Anyone that is a ten trip customer may want to stock up a 5 month supply since there is still not a key card discounted ride replacement.

Anyone using the unlimited rides from the "paper" Independence pass or may want a family Independence pass in the near future would be wise to buy in advance as well just watch the validity years printed on the pass.

Since SEPTA has done little to notify the public about this cutoff date I wouldn't be surprised if enough customer backlash causes a back peddling.
The low utilization at the moment means the changes won’t be known by most for months.
Ryan, RCT and Everyone:
I made an extra effort to purchase some legacy tickets that I could use in the near future
knowing that today (Friday October 2nd) would be the last sales day.

I was also informed that SEPTA has decided to end sales of legacy Independence Passes
along with tickets - the previous plan was to sell these passes until the I Pass supply ran out.
I bought a few to use as needed depending on the amount of rides that I planned to take.

The 10 ride limitation on Key I Passes in my situation will add up quickly - I use a bus to
Regional Rail using four rides round trip leaving only six others for the rest of the day.

The coming days at Regional Rail ticket offices are going to be interesting since cash riders
will have to either purchase a Key card for use at $4.95 or pay the on-board fare.
Discretionary and occasional RRD riders are going to be most affected by these changes.

The Trenton Line is going to be an interesting case: Will NJT continue to sell the basic three
ticket types which are:
Trenton-CCP ($9.25)
“Tunnel” Anywhere via CCP ($9.25)
Trenton Line Intermediate ($3.75 - Trenton to any station Levittown to North Philadelphia)
or will sales of these tickets end as well?

MACTRAXX
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