SEPTA Owns Philadelphia Once Again

Hey, remember a few months ago, when SEPTA got all that cash from Harrisburg, and everything was going to move swimmingly for the transit agency for a while, especially since transfers would not be eliminated?

Well, right. You knew this was coming. Since SEPTA wasn’t allowed to eliminate transfers, it’s going to raise fares a bit. Tokens will go from $1.30 to $1.45 and transfers will go from 60 cents to 75.

Metro’s article about the rate hike contains this little back and forth between SEPTA and the city.

• “Our riders know what the best deals are,” Chief Ridership Officer John McGee Jr. said. “We’re getting e-mails from customers who said they won’t be buying passes.”
• “What do they believe are the majority and minority streets?” City Solicitor Romulo Diaz said. “I have never heard such a canard. The legal responsibility of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect routes. It protects people.”

Yes! The legal responsibility of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not protect routes! Take, that, Chief Ridership Officer! I still do want to know who are the people emailing SEPTA, sending snickering emails: “Hey jerks! I’m not going to buy any passes! I didn’t have time to do a ‘Leave Britney alone’ parody video, so here’s a LOLcat.”

Take a HIKE [Metro]

The Court Decision Of The Century

Oh! Later today a judge will decide whether SEPTA is allowed to eliminate transfers, which Mayor Street says are used by kids going to one of the city’s horrible public schools.

As you may remember, the judge issued an emergency stay of the elimination of transfers until today last week. This was probably so the judge could look over case law and figure out if SEPTA could get rid of ‘em, but I’d like to think he spent his week just starting at a token and a transfer and nothing else.

SEPTA Board chairman Pat Deon argues that few riders actually use the transfers: :”My understanding is that it affects probably six percent of our riders, which are occasional riders.”

My guess: A bunch of kids who “went to school” just spent their money on SEPTA novelties instead, like coasters and trading cards.

SEPTA Riders Brace For Ruling On Transfers [KYW 1060]

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]

SEPTA Heroically Eliminates Transfers To Save Itself

As part of its new commitment to customer satisfaction, SEPTA is getting rid of transfers in a few days. Yesterday, a bunch of people complained in vain to SEPTA management about having to pay an extra buck or so to ride on a subway and a bus.

SEPTA, of course, had its reasoning:

SEPTA Board Chairman Pat Deon says the elimination of the transfers was a condition imposed by the state to get new funding: “Harrisburg gave us a pretty clear mandate — streamline your fare collection, and we’re going to give you the money.”

Boy, I can’t think of any way to streamline fare collection besides eliminating transfers. Thanks for getting that funding in the only way possible, SEPTA.

SEPTA’s Plan to Eliminate Transfers Angers Riders [KYW 1060]