SEPTA says some riders were mistakenly charged higher fares Monday, just days after a court order blocked the transit agency from implementing system-wide fare hikes.
SEPTA confirmed that a number of passengers were charged $2.90 instead of the $2.50 base fare when tapping SEPTA Key cards or using contactless payment on some buses. Riders who were overcharged will automatically receive a 40-cent refund, transit officials said.
Fares were set to increase 21.5% Monday, raising the base rate for bus, subway and trolley trips from $2.50 to $2.90. However, Court of Common Pleas Judge Sierra Thomas Street instructed SEPTA not to move forward with the planned fare increase or any further service reductions, after a lawsuit was filed last week challenging the cuts.
SEPTA officials said the issue appears to be limited to certain buses whose payment software failed to receive last-minute updates to freeze fares, adding that station fare gates and cash fares were unaffected. SEPTA urged riders to review transactions and contact the Key Call Center at 1-855-567-3782 if they notice overcharges.
Refunds will also be issued to customers who purchased weekly and monthly passes at the higher rates. SEPTA said it is monitoring payments to identify errors and will provide updates, as well as the timeline for refunds, on its website.
