SEPTA to partner with Uber for rail passenger discounts

SEPTA is reportedly partnering with Uber this summer to see if the two organizations can forge a mutually beneficial public/private partnership that aims to save money for both taxpayers and commuters.

Riders who take Uber to or from one of the 11 four counties’ Regional Rail stations near Philadelphia will get 40 percent off the cost of their car ride, up to $10 per trip, Philly.com reported.

“We will be studying it this summer,” said Rich Burnfield, SEPTA’s deputy general manager, told the website. “People are already doing this so we know there’s a market for it.”

A recent American Public Transportation Association study found 20 percent of riders already use rideshare services like Uber or Lyft to make their first and last connections in public service traffic, Philly Magazine noted.

Burnfield told Philly.com that many of the system’s stations are “parking poor,” and that the pilot program is aimed at exploring whether that deficit keeps ridership levels down.

The company reportedly said it will also share data on trip times, though that data will be kept hidden from the public as part of a non-disclosure agreement.

The program will be in effect from Memorial Day to Labor day, and will include Glenside, Jenkintown-Wyncote, Elkins Park, Melrose Park, Warminster, Doylestown, Lansdale, Woodbourne, Swarthmore, Wayne and Exton stations.