SEPTA Faces Fare Hikes After $240 Million Dollar Shortage

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SEPTA has a plan on raising fare rates to fill in their million dollar gap. Part of their plan to do so is to eliminate fare discounts for riders that use the SEPTS key car or pay with credit card. This would mean that these riders, who currently enjoy a discounted $2 dollar fare, will now have to pay the full $2.50 for a ride.

As of now, the elimination of the discount is still waiting to be approved from the SEPTA board There are also plans on increasing SEPTA fare rates. These fares can increase up to $1 dollar for specific routes. These proposals are apart of SEPTA’s boarder strategy to boost revenue as the agency faces a sharp decline ever since COVID-19.

If the changes are approved, SEPTA would be projected to generate an additional $14.4 million in revenue annually. This would still leave a large gap in the budget. Right now SEPTA is facing challenges between balancing the books and serving the Philadelphia commuters.

Everything is still now in review.