SEPTA parking fees are back. What riders should know to pay with new app, at kiosks

Many SEPTA riders may have been enjoying parking for free at stations throughout the mass transit system since the pandemic.

But, that COVID-era courtesy came to an end on Monday, Sept. 23, 2024.

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System Wide: Paid parking returns September 23. Visit https://t.co/OphVSk7DK8 to see when parking fees begin at your station. Payment is not required until your Station's scheduled start date.

— SEPTA (@SEPTA) September 19, 2024

Last month, SEPTA officials announced that they would end free parking with a "phased approach." On Monday morning, people were paying for parking at Montgomery County's Glenside station. Some other stations won't see the new parking fees until November.

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Details on the parking change are available on SEPTA's site, here.

“These fees will help offset parking lot maintenance costs as we continue to do our part to generate revenue in the midst of a funding crisis,” said SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie Richards in a statement. “We understand how increasing fees could impact riders, but we hope they will still see public transit as an overall value – saving time and money compared to driving a vehicle.”

In a statement on the move, SEPTA officials said the company's board, earlier this year, awarded a $12.3 million contract to Flowbird America Inc. to develop "a new, state-of-the-art parking system that will streamline fee collection and improve customer convenience."

How much does it cost to park at SEPTA-owned lots?

The cost to park at SEPTA-owned surface lots has increased to $2 from $1 and to $4 from $2 at three garages -- Frankford Transportation Center, Norristown and Lansdale.

Riders will be able to use a SEPTA Park app to pay for parking, as well as using kiosks at parking lots or even pay by text message.

Officials said there will be detailed instructions at parking lot locations to provide additional information once the parking fees resume.

Parking at surface lots will remain free on weekends and major holidays.

SEPTA riders react

SEPTA riders were surprised by the news, and some are thinking of ways to adjust.

"It’s not good. I enjoy having the lot to park in, I feel safe parking here," SEPTA rider Kendre Taylor said.

"A little disappointed. It was a nice perk coming back to work. It’s only a dollar a day, but it adds up coming in 4-5 days a week every week," said Eric Ducharme. "Driving myself is an option. My wife also commutes, so maybe we might think about taking the same train instead of us both parking separately on the same day."

"$2 is not the worst amount and if it's going to maintaining the lots and our safety, that's good. But I would prefer free," Taylor said.

Why is SEPTA collecting parking fees

According to SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch, the new fees are expected to generate millions in new revenues for the mass transit provider.

"We are estimating that revenue from parking will be at least $6 million annually with the new fees in place," Busch said in a statement to NBC10.

In 2019, Busch said SEPTA collected $4.7 million in parking revenue but that ridership since the pandemic has been down and has only gradually increased to 66% of pre-pandemic ridership.

"Part of the reason we did not resume parking fees sooner was to try to attract riders back to the system, so it’s possible if we had resumed charging sooner, we could have lost some of the ridership that has returned," Busch said in a statement.

For a full schedule of the rollout planned to begin on Sept. 23, 2024, click here.