If you ride SEPTA’s railroad, the New Payment Technology plan has some good parts and some bad parts. While there is a lot of controversy over how fares are to be checked (we at DVARP are trying to fix that), the paying part will be more convenient.
You will be able to use a new SEPTA smart card or any standard credit or debit card for fare payment with the new system. If you use the smart card, you can recharge it at station vending machines, at SEPTA sales outlets, or online. If you set up an automatic reload for it, you won’t ever have to stop to buy tickets again. Cash will still be accepted on the trains, but only for a few types of trips. Most fares will be paid using farecard vending machines.
One key point to remember is that SEPTA is proposing to charge a double fare for trips outbound from Center City, and let people ride inbound for free. You’ll see some large numbers showing up here, but remember those are effectively round trip fares.
The other key point is that fare procedures will vary by zone, and SEPTA also wants to change the current zone system. It appears that the current zones 1 and 2 will be combined into new zone 1, current zone 3 and half of zone 4 will become new zone 2, and the rest of zone 4 will be combined with zone 5 into new zone 3. Trenton and West Trenton (current zone 6) will remain a separate zone with higher fares. The new fares have not been decided, but we expect zone 1 and zone 3 riders will face another fare increase, while there may be a decrease for zone 2 and part of zone 4.
Below we’ll try and explain how you’ll have to pay your fare with the new system. Remember, this is our best guess based on current technical documents, and it is subject to change by SEPTA. Procedures will vary depending on where you’re traveling and which direction.
No fares will be collected from any of the outlying stations to Center City. You won’t need to purchase a ticket, so the problem of the ticket office being closed or paying a surcharge because there’s no ticket office at your station will go away. Getting off the train, you’ll have to go through a gate on the way out. It may be a little bit out of your way, but you won’t have to swipe a card to get out.
A double fare will be charged for travel leaving Center City, and you must pay in advance using a farecard, credit or debit card, or with cash at a ticket office or vending machine: you cannot pay on board. Access to the platform will be controlled with turnstiles like on the subway. You will have to swipe your farecard, credit card, or pass through the reader on the turnstile before going through, and a hold equal to the zone 1 fare will be put on your card. Then you can get on the train as usual.
According to one part of the technical specification, everyone will have to have their farecards checked by the conductor as the train leaves Center City (north of Temple University or south/west of 30th Street and University City). You will need to get out the same card you swiped in with and hand it to the conductor, so he or she can run it through a hand-held reader and make sure you paid. This will apply to everyone, whether you use a SEPTA card or an ordinary credit or debit card, and whether you pay by the trip or buy a pass.
If you get off the train in new zone 1 (current zones 1 and 2), you will need to stop and swipe your card again after you get off the train. This is called “tagging off.” There will be two card readers at most stations; some will have three and a few stations will have more. There may be a line at the card reader, but it should move fairly quickly. Even if you have a pass, you will have to tag off every trip. If you don’t tag off, you will be charged extra (possibly $2.00 to $3.00).
If you get off the train in new zone 2 (current zone 3 and part of 4), you will not need to tag off. If you are paying by the trip, the system will automatically deduct the zone 2 fare from your account.
If you are riding to new zone 3 or to New Jersey, the conductor will come around again to check your card once the train crosses the fare boundary. You will need to hand over your card or pass to the conductor so it can be run through the hand-held reader again. When your card is swiped, the fare will be deducted from your account. You will not need to tag off when you get off the train.
If your trip is on the outlying part of one line, you will ride for free in the inbound direction and pay a double fare for the outbound trip. Using the hand-held device, the conductor will swipe your card or take your cash before you get on. The swipe will tell the system what zone you boarded in, so the appropriate fare will be charged.
Getting off, the same procedures will apply. If you get off in new zone 1, you will have to tag off at the card reader on the platform. If you get off in new zone 2, you won’t have to do anything. If you ride to new zone 3 or New Jersey, the conductor will come around and swipe your card again or check your cash receipt.
If your trip is from a station on one line to a station on a different line, you will have to pay the double fare for your destination station. In other words, the total fare will equal the sum of the regular fares for both legs of the trip: it appears there will not be a reduced fare as if present. You won’t have to do anything on the inbound leg. If you change trains at 30th Street, you will go out the turnstile from one platform and follow the regular procedure to get a card and go through the turnstile to the other platform. If you change anywhere else, you won’t have to go through the turnstiles, even if your train is on a different platform. When the conductor comes around checking everyone’s card leaving Center City, you’ll either have to hand the conductor a card or pay cash. Then you’ll either tag off if your destination is in zone 1, or have your card swiped again if your destination is zone 3 or New Jersey.
The station plans show tag-off card readers on the platforms in the Center City stations, so we are guessing that the procedure for travel within Center City will be that you have to buy a card for the full minimum zone 1 round trip fare and swipe it through the turnstile to get in to the system, then tag off on the platform before going through the exit turnstile at your destination. Presumably only a one-way fare will be deducted.
We don’t know how or whether SEPTA will make this system compatible with free rides between 30th Street and Market East for passengers connecting to and from Amtrak.
We have not seen any mention of senior citizen fares in the documents yet (subject to change), but since the one-way senior fare is a flat $1.00 within Pennsylvania, and everyone will have to go through the turnstiles in Center City, we are guessing that seniors will need to buy a special farecard to ride. Unless there is some way to identify a particular card with a specific rider, you won’t be able to use a regular credit card at the turnstile and pay the senior fare. On the other hand, seniors will not need to tag off when detraining in zone 1. Inbound rides will be free ad outbound riders will be $2.00.
SEPTA has not said anything about how peak and off-peak/weekend fares will be applied using the new system. SEPTA may continue its trend from earlier this year and try to extend peak fares to all day weekdays, as a “simplification.”
There has not been any decision yet about intermodal fares: discounts for trips involving both the train and a subway or bus. The NPT system should make these trips easier though.
If you have additional questions about the NPT project and how it will affect you, please e-mail us at mail@dvarp.org.