SEPTA Proposes Regional Rail Fare Hike, Dropping Discounts

PHILADELPHIA REGION —Facing a $240 million annual budget deficit, SEPTA Thursday announced a regional rail fare increase and the elimination of some travel discounts.

SEPTA said the proposed fare adjustments would go into effect on Dec. 1.

With the state budget providing less than one-fourth of what the authority requested and the exhaustion of federal COVID relief funds, SEPTA said the need for a permanent solution grows more urgent by the day.

“The SEPTA Board has worked tirelessly to advocate for transit funding,” said SEPTA Board Chair
Kenneth E. Lawrence, Jr. “We are optimistic about an agreement on funding in Harrisburg; however, we need to act now to ensure that SEPTA is best positioned to provide reliable service to the city and region.”

The proposal would bring the Travel Wallet fare on buses, subways, and trolleys to $2.50, which is the same as the cash fare. Free transfers on Transit would remain, and SEPTA would eliminate restrictions on the direction of travel for transfers —introducing new flexibility that would allow for more roundtrips on a single fare.

The proposal would also increase most single-trip fares on Regional Rail and align Travel Wallet and Quick Trip pricing.

All daily, weekly, and monthly passes would remain the same price.

In addition, three Zone 2 stations would become Zone 1 stations.

Customers with weekly or monthly TransPass+ would have access to Regional Rail services at Overbrook, Wissahickon, and Tulpehocken stations at no additional cost —bringing the total number of Zone 1 stations to 18.

The change supports the vision of SEPTA’s Reimagining Regional Rail plan to integrate Regional Rail with SEPTA Metro and Bus.

“We worked hard to make sure this fare proposal is equitable,” said SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie S. Richards. “We know that no one wants to pay more for anything, but we are pulling out all the stops to try to avoid devastating service cuts. Without new state transit funding, we will have to consider additional fare increases in the spring. What we are announcing today is an initial step toward planning for our uncertain future.”

SEPTA’s last fare increase was in 2017.

Planned fare increases in 2020 were deferred due to the pandemic.

The proposed fare adjustments would generate an additional $14.4 million in annual revenue.

Next week, SEPTA is making the first major post-pandemic service increases on Regional Rail by adding 99-weekend trains and 24-weekday trains to the schedule.

After four years of offering free parking to help attract customers back to the system, SEPTA will reinstate parking fees with a phased approach beginning Sept. 23.

Daily parking rates at SEPTA-owned surface lots will increase to $2 from $1 and to $4 from $2 at the three garages: Frankford Transportation Center, Norristown, and Lansdale. These fees will help offset parking lot maintenance costs.

SEPTA will hold public hearings regarding the proposed fare adjustments on Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Public members may attend the hearings in-person at SEPTA Headquarters or remotely via WebEx.

The proposal is pending approval by the SEPTA Board on Nov. 21.