May XX, 2020


Dear SEPTA Officers and Board of Directors,

On March 11th, 2020, SEPTA announced their FY2021 Fare Restructuring Plan which detailed changes to SEPTA's fare system for the next three years. SEPTA is proposing to eliminate the transfer fee for SEPTA Key users, something transit advocates and the city have been pushing for quite some time. We at Transit Forward Philadelphia (TFP) are pleased to see management heed the advice of riders, advocates, and agency officials and finally eliminate this penalty to riders.

While this is a positive step in the right direction, TFP believes SEPTA should go further in promoting equity and efficiency within their fare system. The current Fare Restructuring Plan is an opportunity for SEPTA to:

• Boost and revitalize ridership by developing a system that encourages riders to use SEPTA as a single network;

• Implement affordable fare programs that compete with transportation network companies such as Uber and Lyft and in turn increase ridership and generate more revenue for the agency;

• Make the system more efficient, affordable, and competitive by prioritizing affordability of fares for low-income riders and passengers traveling with children.

Protecting low-income passengers while at the same time rebuilding trust and increasing ridership for the agency will be especially important as the region comes out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency will need to establish a fare system that is easy to use and affordable to everyone, specifically for low-income residents and adults traveling with children.

As a coalition of 14 different organizations united in advocating for the needs of every transit rider, we request the following recommendations be adopted in SEPTA’s FY2021 Fare Restructuring Plan:

1.  Allow SEPTA riders to transfer for free, as many times as they need, within a two-hour window

2.  Implement a fare capping system within SEPTA Key that rewards passengers for frequent use of the system

3.  Allow children under 12 to ride SEPTA for free

Please see our attached Proposal for SEPTA's FY2021 Fare Restructuring Plan for further detail and explanation of the goals and recommendations outlined above.

Thank you for your consideration.