SEPTA’s fare increase will take effect this Sunday, Dec. 1, initiating a 7.5% fare increase on all Transit services.
The Travel Wallet fare on buses, subways, and trolleys will be $2.50. Free transfers on Transit will remain, and SEPTA will eliminate restrictions on direction of travel for transfers, in an effort to allow for more roundtrips on a single fare.
It will also increase most single-trip fares on Regional Rail. All daily, weekly, and monthly passes will remain the same price. In addition, three Zone 2 stations will become Zone 1 stations. Customers with weekly or monthly TransPass+ will 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.
These fare adjustments are expected to generate an additional $14.4 million in annual revenue.
“For two years, we have been warning about the dire consequences facing SEPTA – and our region – due to the looming fiscal cliff,” said SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth E. Lawrence, Jr. “With no prospect of a statewide solution to help fund the everyday operating expenses of public transportation systems, we have no choice but to continue plans to confront this stark reality.”
Last week, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced his administration would be redirecting $153 million in federal highway funding to bridge the transit agency’s budget deficit. Prior to the announcement, SEPTA officials, in an attempt to close its fiscal gap, had been finalizing a 20% service cut that would have eliminated dozens routes and drastically reduced frequencies in 2025. The authority had also proposed a 21.5% fare increase to be implemented in January. SEPTA has since postponed those plans.
Expiring federal coronavirus relief funding and ridership numbers that remain below pre-pandemic numbers have created financial problems for SEPTA and other transit agencies across the country. The authority’s budget deficit, or “fiscal cliff,” is projected at $240 million a year.
For more information on the fare plan, including a full breakdown on all increases and related modifications, visit septa.org.
