SEPTA’s fare hike took effect today with the the price of a token rising ten cents to$1.55; a weekly transit pass jumping from $20.75 to$22; and transfers for subway, bus and trolleys being hiked 25 centsto $1.
Also off-peak discounts were ended for regional rail.
Base fares on buses, subways and trolleys remain $2.
Meanwhile it has been revealed that SEPTA officials have been enjoying thousand-dollar company lunches at places like Fountain Restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel in Center City.
The trolley and bus drivers are generally pretty decent people who work honest hours for what they get but has it occurred to anyone else that management has no real incentive to grow the largely tax-funded authority. In fact, it seems, that if ridership were to significantly increase they would, well, have to work harder, and why would they want to do that if they are taking lunches at swank restaurants now?
They are clearly not trying to grow. How much marketing do you see for SEPTA? Maybe a rewritten press release in the dino media but not much. If you should have moved into the area, did you ever get a direct-mail piece describing what SEPTA could do for you and how to use the system and get discounts? Maybe free passes to sample the service?
Of course not.
More riders would mean more people to deal with which would mean more headaches. It’s much easier to be able to leave the cell phone off at catered affairs.