SEPTA Transfers Get Last-Minute Stay

Although the SEPTA board voted to eliminate transfers a while ago, everybody waited until late last week to get overly angry about it, most likely dooming any chances of actually keeping transfers and saving people money.

Or wait! Somehow, the delay might not have mattered, as a judge ordered SEPTA to continue selling transfers with a temporary injunction.

SEPTA originally complained it didn’t have any more transfer slips — they apparently buy them individually — but then “found” a bunch of other slips to get through the week. And SEPTA is crying foul:

But attorney Thomas S. Biemer, representing SEPTA, said that the case was simple. “The city is trying to substitute its discretion on how to run a railroad for SEPTA’s discretion,” he said.

Biemer argued that in a case such as this, the court may overturn the decision of a government agency only if the agency exhibited “manifest and flagrant” abuse of its discretion. That did not happen here, he told the judge. In fact, he said, the SEPTA board rejected an alternative that would have raised the cost of tokens for all riders.

“Your Honor is not supposed to substitute your discretion for SEPTA’s discretion,” Biemer said. “Neither can the city. They just don’t like what SEPTA did.”

Oh snap! The injunction says in effect until Monday, at which time SEPTA will introduce a MetroCard-style system with new machines that don’t spit your money out every time.

Judge orders SEPTA to continue selling bus transfers [Inquirer]