July 5, 2007 Issue
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Classified Chestnut Hill Local Online Editor Don't Miss an Issue, Tell us what you see or Winner of Two |
Fare hikes hit home
To compensate for a large deficit in its budget, the SEPTA board voted to increase fare costs by 11 percent as of July 9. Under this increase, referred to as “Plan A” by SEPTA, the biggest change in bus transit will be the elimination of the less expensive transfer fare. As of Aug. 1, the 60-cent transfer will be terminated, and all rides will cost $2. Last week, as news of the increases spread, passengers seemed unengaged by it. “It’s annoying, but what can you do,” said Joyce Weaver, who lives in Mt. Airy and works at Chestnut Hill Hospital. “Complaining isn’t going to help.” Fellow commuter Danea Cornock said she looks at the bigger picture. She sees mass transit as a way to save the environment and rides everyday from her home in Chestnut Hill to the daycare she works at in Mt. Airy. The cost of cash fare and tokens for busses and subways is not changing — remaining at $2 or $1.30 per ride, respectively — but the cost of passes is increasing. A weekly pass, which was $18.75, will now cost $20.75 as of July 9; a monthly pass will cost $8 more (up to $78), and the day pass will rise from $5.50 to $6. In regional rail, rides will increase by 50 cents, bringing a one-way peak ride to $4.25 and a one-way off-peak ride to $3.50 in Zone 2, which includes Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy’s stations. Ten trip, weekly and monthly passes are also increasing. Also, the TransPass (not to be confused with the TrailPass, which is for rail transit only), which works on transit routes within city limits and the first zone of suburban transit routes, will no longer be accepted for regional rail rides in Zone 1 during peak hours. Fares for Paratransit, which transports seniors and riders with disabilities, also will be increasing. The fare increases, however, only cover $35 million of the SEPTA deficit. The agency hopes the remaining $94 million will come from the state. Gov. Ed Rendell has already asked the General Assembly to approve this money. Although he originally told SEPTA not to accept anything less than $700 million, he has since modified that request. A state transportation bill was approved by the House at the end of June, but is expected to have a harder time passing through Senate. If the bill passes as it is, SEPTA will likely receive $101 million to cover operation costs. If the bill is not passed, SEPTA may have to resort to its more drastic “Plan B,” which includes a 24 percent fare increase and a 20 percent service cut. Also, about 1,000 SEPTA jobs would be eliminated. This would be implemented on Sept. 2 if necessary. “I hope the state steps in, but I’ll believe it when I see it,” said Steve Newman, who teaches at Temple University and usually takes the train from Mt. Airy everyday. “I wish the legislators weren’t so nearsighted to how valuable mass transit is to the economy and ecology.” If “Plan B” takes effect, there would be a ridership loss of about 20 percent (about 40 million annual trips), according to SEPTA. In May, the two SEPTA board members representing Philadelphia vetoed the 11 percent increase in hopes that the legislature would pass the $100 million by the time of the first increase. Philadelphia students who use transfers may not have to pay the higher cost when the transfers are eliminated, according to a June 29 story in the Inquirer. The school district is currently negotiating student fares with SEPTA.
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