62 replies to this topic

[CNJRoss]

WHYY News Philadelphia, PA 5/12/20
 

SEPTA wants to drop transfer fee and offer $1 fare for kids starting July 1

 

 

SEPTA wants to move forward with a plan to provide a free transfer with every trip and offer $1 fares for children starting July 1.

 

The regional transit authority described the fare reduction as part of an “effort to help customers during this challenging time and aid in the region’s recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.”

 

The two proposals are part of a fare restructuring introduced in March that also included increases to Travel Wallet fares and SEPTA pass products. Those increases will be deferred until at least 2021.

 

“The Fare Restructuring Plan was designed to improve equity, affordability, and ease-of-travel for our customers,” said SEPTA General Manager Leslie Richards. “We are proud to be a partner in the region’s economic comeback, and we look forward to helping our customers as we get through the COVID-19 crisis together.”

 

Continue here.

 

Cross posted:  SEPTA proposed Fare Restructuring

[CNJRoss]

Philadephia Business Journal 5/13/20
 

SEPTA, facing millions in funding cuts, argues investment will help fuel economic recovery

 

 

SEPTA officials argued Wednesday that investing in the transit system will be essential to kickstarting the economy after the Covid-19 crisis ends, making the comments as the agency faces millions in potential state funding cuts.

 

The officials say the regional transportation network will help people get back to work during the economic recovery through not only its service, but capital projects. SEPTA risks millions of dollars in cuts in coming years from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as funding from the Pennsylvania Turnpike is set to expire in 2022. SEPTA receives $178 million annually from the Turnpike Commission, and more than half of SEPTA's overall funding comes from the state.

 

“Nothing is more important right now than making sure they know that without this kind of investment, the opening after Covid will be crippled,” SEPTA Commissioner Pat Deon told reporters.

 

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[KevinKorell]

SEPTA website:

                                              CCT FULL SERVICE RESUMES TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020
 
CCT returns to full service on [/size]June 2. The option for same day trip reservations will [/size]end effective Friday, [/size]June 5, 2020. To make a reservation contact the CCT Control Center at 215-580-7720 or 215-580-7145 then press #2. comply with social distancing guidelines CCT vehicles can only carry one customer (plus an approved Personal Care Attendant) per vehicle. ADA fares apply for all trips. [/size]
 
                                                               TRANSIT SERVICE UPDATE

Service returns on all Bus*, Trolley, Market Frankford, Broad Street and Norristown High Speed Line Routes following the timetables in effect before the COVID-19 crisis began. *Routes 204, and LUCY GOLD and Green Routes will continue to operate on a reduced schedule. Routes 91 remains suspended. Service on Trolley Route 102 resumes and Route 101 resumes service as a Trolley on Monday, June 1, 2020. Select Market Frankford, Broad Street, and Trolley Line Stations remain CLOSED.

[CNJRoss]

The Philadelphia Inquirer 6/5/20

10,000 SEPTA Key cards soon expire. Despite coronavirus, you’ll still have to get a new one in person.

 

 

Another expiration date for SEPTA Key cards will soon arrive just as the Philadelphia region enters a “yellow” reopening phase from the coronavirus pandemic.

 

Come June 30, 10,000 Key cards will no longer work, though about half “appear to be dormant” and may have been thrown away or lost, SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said. Of the 5,000 active cards, almost 85% are registered, and holders have been notified that their cards will soon lapse, he said.

 

While those in the region can safely get groceries delivered to their doors and can vote by mail amid the COVID-19 crisis, don’t expect replacement cards to show up alongside bills and the latest credit card offering in the mail.

 

Riders can get new Key cards at kiosks, SEPTA sales offices, and other retail locations — some of which are temporarily shuttered because of the coronavirus. ...

 

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[CNJRoss]

Billy Penn 6/11/20
 

Are SEPTA riders wearing face masks? We rode bus, trolley and subway to find out

 

Face coverings are now required, but police will not enforce the rule.

 

 

Philly moved into the yellow phase at the end of last week, and SEPTA resumed a near-normal schedule on city transit. More people are riding to work, and non-essential travel is back on the table.

 

So is the requirement to cover your face when you ride.

 

The last time SEPTA required face masks for riders, it reversed the policy after just a couple of days. The shift was a response to backlash after a video of Philadelphia police officers forcibly removing a mask-less man from a Route 23 bus went viral.

 

This time around, Philly’s transit authority has decided to keep the police out of it.

 

“We want to try if at all possible to avoid any kind of situation like that,” said SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch. “Nobody is going to be fined or cited or have the police called.”

 

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[KevinKorell]

SEPTA website:

 

 

 

                        New Regional Rail Schedules Effective Sunday, June 28, 2020

 

With the completion of the Southwest Connection Improvement Program, train service returns on the Airport Line and the Media/Elwyn Line resumes operation. New Regional Rail timetables will go into effect Sunday, June 28 for all Lines except the Chestnut Hill West and Cynwyd. Service on these two Lines will remain suspended.

 

Please note the following:

- All schedules except (Airport, Media/Elwyn & Fox Chase Lines) will operate:

• Weekdays (Monday-Friday) with hourly service
• Weekends (Saturday & Sunday) with 2 hour service

- Wilmington Line will operate the schedule, as noted above, with service beginning/ending at Wilmington Station

- Media/Elwyn & Fox Chase Lines will operate:

• Weekdays (Monday-Friday) with hourly service
• Weekends (Saturday & Sunday) with 2-3 hour service

- Airport Line will operate:

• Weekdays (Monday-Friday) with 30 minute service
• Weekends (Saturday & Sunday) with hourly service

- West Trenton Line:

• Please look for additional schedule changes effective July 12th due to ongoing infrastructure improvement construction

Outlying Regional Rail Ticket Offices will begin reopening, starting Monday, June 29.

Offices will only be open for SEPTA fare purchases. Restroom and waiting facilities will be CLOSED. Please check back for a list of Ticket Office opening dates.

Please check the timetables below before completing your travel plans

Airport
Chestnut Hill East
Fox Chase
Glenside Combined
Lansdale/Doylestown
Manayunk/Norristown
Media/Elwyn
Paoli
Trenton
Warminster
West Trenton
Wilmington/Newark

 

 

Cross-posted in Coronavirus forum and regular thread.

[KevinKorell]

Philadelphia, PA Inquirer, 6/29/20:

 

   SEPTA Regional Rail is coming back, but many of its suburban riders are still working from home  

 

 

 

Regional Rail’s rush-hour crowds, the entangled webs of people weaving in and out of Philadelphia’s largest businesses and transit hubs, have been missing for months.

 

Details

[CNJRoss]

Metro Magazine 6/26/20
 

SEPTA Approves Fare Restructuring Plan

 

 

SEPTA’s board approved a Fare Restructuring Plan that includes free rides for children under 12, one free transfer for Transit trips, and the introduction of new SEPTA Key three-day passes in the fall. The plan was approved as part of the Fiscal Year 2021 Operating Budget and Fiscal Years 2022-2026 Financial Projections.

 

The Restructuring Plan originally announced before the COVID-19 crisis was adjusted in response to public feedback and to help customers during the region's recovery. All proposed increases will be re-evaluated and deferred until at least January 2021.

 

Continue here.

 

Cross-posted:  SEPTA proposed Fare Restructuring

[KevinKorell]

KYW Radio, Philadelphia, PA, 7/5/20:

 

     Full return still up in the air for SEPTA Regional Rail lines  

 

 

 

While city transit service is back to pre-pandemic levels, SEPTA has only partly restored Regional Rail service. It may be a while before those lines are back on their original schedules.

 

Item

[CNJRoss]

WHYY Philadelphia, PA 7/29/20
 

Opinion

4 ways SEPTA can reduce COVID-19 risks on transit

 

by Ben She

 

 

As Philadelphia slowly recovers from the pandemic and lockdown, and people resume traveling to places they haven’t gone to for months, our region’s transit still faces a long-term funding crisis from collapsed ridership not seen in decades. The initial CARES act funding in April will only keep SEPTA afloat for a year at most, with no certain prospect of future bailouts. And while SEPTA’s new fare policy includes compelling new incentives in the free transfer and $1 youth fare, if traveling habits are permanently altered coming out of the crisis, SEPTA will have to significantly reimagine and refocus the service it provides to people still willing to take transit.

 

SNIP

 

It may seem like a small thing, but increasing the legibility of SEPTA’s network for riders both new and experienced helps demystify and unlock more of the system for them, and would easily increase the perception of a high-quality customer experience. A design overhaul would help resume everyone’s lives with a modernized and accessible SEPTA experience. To SEPTA’s credit, they have begun the process of drafting a branding/wayfinding master plan, and will soon be actively seeking collaboration with the public on the best options to use for stations and maps.

 

Ben She is a volunteer with Philly’s urbanist and transit advocacy group, 5th Square, and in the Urban Strategy master’s program at Drexel University. A lifelong SEPTA rider, he is deeply interested in issues of transit access and equity.

 

More here.