I remember when I first started as a commuter student to WCU in fall 2008. To get to West Chester from King of Prussia via SEPTA route 92, the fare was only $2 plus a 50-cent zone fare between counties. Even the 104 (West Chester University to 69th Street Transportation Center) had a 50-cent zone fare. Then, on July 1, 2013, the zone rates were eliminated on routes 92 and 104, but the fare increased to $2.25 (however, if you take the 123, 124, or 125, you must pay an extra $1.50 with the fare and on the Norristown High Speed Line, an extra 50 cents unless you have the Zone 1 pass.)
SEPTA has been planning to change the way riders pay in 2014. As of now, when you buy a pass ($24 for a weekly pass, $91 for a monthly pass), you are guaranteed unlimited rides on SEPTA. However, SEPTA is proposing in 2014 to limit the rides to 50 rides on a weekly pass or 256 rides on a monthly pass to stop people from abusing the pass by letting other people use it or causing mayhem with crime activity. On SEPTA’s Facebook page, riders are livid about the upcoming changes. They leave comments about their outrage for the fare hike and the limitation of rides, which they argue will affect workers and students.
Eventually, SEPTA is looking to do away with paying in tokens ($9 for a bag of five tokens) or cash and hopes to establish a card system much like New York City and Boston. With the card system, passengers could refill their cards when the funds are used up. Of course, that is not popular with the customers who do not have a computer. SEPTA is reassuring customers that if it is needed, they could refill their cards at SEPTA locations. To keep up with changes made to SEPTA, you can like SEPTA on Facebook or visit their website at www.septa.org.
Jessica Cavaliere is a fifth-year student majoring in English writings with a minor in philosophy. She can be reached at JC671566@wcupa.edu.