SEPTA held its first public hearing for the proposed fare hikes that bus, train, subway and trolley commuters could soon face.
The transit company wants to get rid of travel wallet discounts and make the basic fare $2.50 no matter what way you pay.
They are also looking to raise single-trip fares on Regional Rail.
This is all in an effort to raise money for SEPTA by raising fares for the first time since 2017.
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As reported throughout the year, the transit agency faces a $240 million budget deficit after running out of federal COVID relief funds.
There was a lot of hope that the state budget would help the transit agency avoid a financial crisis, but what they are getting is not even close to what they hoped for.
"This is an increase to the base fare that was going to be made in 2020 but was deferred because of the pandemic," Senior Director of Financial Operations Tom Kelly said. "And right now what we're doing is just catching up to that point."
The proposed fare increase would eliminate discounts for prepaid single rides, raise base fare for trolley, bus and metro to $2.50 and raise Regional Rail rates to anywhere between $4 to $11 depending on travel.
Daily, weekly and monthly passes will remain the same price.
If approved, the fare increase would start in December 2024 and riders at the meeting on Wednesday voiced their concerns and frustrations.
"We the payers, who are paying up front are going to end up paying the price for it," Raul Colon, a SEPTA rider who attended the meeting said. "They want to raise $.50 when what they should be looking at is how much money they can get back if they stop these free riders from getting on for free."
One way SEPTA said they are working to prevent fare evaders is the recent expansion of the full-length fare gate program that was piloted at 69th Street Station. The transit company said fare evasion was cut in half there since the gates were implemented.
"We understand that that's something that our fair paying customer see and they feel like it’s unfair to them and we really want to make sure that we’re getting everyone that we can to pay their fare,” Senior Director of Budgets and Transformation Erik Johanson said.
Riders also brought up the fact that his decision could impact SEPTA's finances.
"Means there'll be fewer riders, SEPTA's acknowledged that. It's also an incredible burden on the working poor," Lance Haver, a consumer advocate, said.
