SEPTA Fares To Jump And Become Weird Prices That No One Will Ever Have The Exact Amount Of
IN THE FUTURE… SEPTA fares will cost 5-6% more, leaving everyone scrambling for pennies and nickels as they rush out the door each morning, wondering why it all goes so smoothly for their friends in NYC (in the future, there won’t be SmartCards in Philly, either), while we are all scouring around like a bunch of crackheads, looking for $1.53 for a goddamned SEPTA token.
March 12th, 2010 at 3:58 pm
That odd pricing did not work for the Taxi’s. I bet they really wanted to charge $1.55 but now can just claim the $.02 and put it in the unbudgeted money column and give it as bonus’ to the boss.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Better coverage here: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20100312_SEPTA_seeks_first_fare_hike_in_3_years.html
“SEPTA’s proposal, which requires approval by the agency’s board, would increase the cost of a bus or subway token to $1.55, from the current $1.45. The cost of a transfer would rise to $1, from the current 75 cents.”
“For bus and subway riders, a weekly pass would cost $22, up from the current $20.75. A monthly pass would cost $83, instead of the current $78.
For Regional Rail passengers, a Zone 3 monthly pass would cost $157, up from the current $142.50. A Zone 2 monthly pass would cost $128, instead of the current $116.”
And, apparently, SmartCard hinges upon success of the the proposed toll on I-80 – so you;re probably right.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
The press release says $1.55 not $1.53
http://static.cbslocal.com/station/kyw/SEPTA_Fares.pdf
March 12th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
It goes smoothly for NYC? Last I checked, the base fare to ride the subway there was $2.25 and the MTA, in the face of going completely broke, has proposed “punishing” service cuts and massive layoffs for 2010: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/17/nyregion/17mta.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=mta%20approves%20big%20service%20cuts%20in%20mass%20transit&st=cse
And have you ever tried to ride the subway at rush hour? It’s like a cattle chute, except much hotter. Or on the weekend when half of the lines are shut down for maintenance? Yeah, they’ve got swipe cards, which is nice, but Philadelphians should be careful what they wish for if they start pining for NYC’s transit system.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:13 pm
If only the Philly subway could be as safe as NYC.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
At least if you’re jammed in a subway car like it’s a cattle chute, you can’t get beat to death by hammer wielding flash mobs.
Unless I guess you’re going northbound from the Sports Complex on a game night.
March 12th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
If the cash fare does not increase, there are no scrambling for change issues.
Anyway the sad thing about SEPTA is that in the roaring naughties it had the 8th largest transit project in the country. What do we have to show for it? Well, the El hasn’t collapsed, but that’s about it. There is just no money for service improvements, everything goes towards keeping the system from falling apart.
http://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2010/03/11/the-decades-top-hits-2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thetransportpolitic+%28The+Transport+Politic%29
March 12th, 2010 at 6:54 pm
Everyone who rides SEPTA always gets beaten with a hammer. Always.
March 12th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
Yes but you forget that you still need to buy tokens in 2s, so the price will be the much more round $3.06, which when paid for with $4 will leave you with 94 cents that will make an awkward and embarrassing bulge in your skinny jeans. Do you ride septa or are you just…happy to see me?
March 15th, 2010 at 10:55 am
I rarely use Septa but occasionally I’ll take the bus from Center City because it drops me off right at my front door step in Manayunk. Every time I hop on the bus, I never have a token and wind up putting $2.00 in to pay my fare. I’m sure Septa brings in a significant amount annually from the occasional rider like myself. If this makes any sense (and I may be reaching far on this one), people most likely throw $1.50 into the bus meter and Septa makes $0.05 in pure profit. If they hike up the fair to $1.53, people are more likely to throw in $1.60+ and now Septa is making an extra $.07 in profit. I doubt that anyone will have exactly $1.53 on them for the bus. So…let’s say
- Septa services 30,000 commuters daily (on average)
- Of those 30,000, 25% throw in extra money because they don’t have a token (let’s say, $1.60 for the $1.53 fare).
- That’s 7,500 people.
- Daily, they’re giving Septa an extra $525.00 in pure profit.
- Over the course of a year, that’s $191,625.00.
If the fare stayed at $1.45 and 25% of people put in $1.50 for the fare, that’s $136,875.00 annually in pure profit. The difference is $52,750 and that could mean a job or two that they’re saving (or putting into the higher-up’s budgets).
Again, that’s a very big “what-if” but it’s just another way to look at it.
March 15th, 2010 at 10:57 am
*maybe