(The following story by Dan Hirschhorn appeared on The Evening Bulletin website on December 18.)
PHILADELPHIA — Responding to criticism from riders and pressure from a state legislator, SEPTA will consider installing ticket vending machines at all of its rail stations.
The transit agency has been under fire since implementing an on-board surcharge for rail ticket purchases in August, because many of many of SEPTA’s rail stations do not have ticket booths. And SEPTA took its last ticket machines out of service in January, citing their inability to accept new U.S. currency.
Like its thwarted attempt to eliminate paper transfers, the surcharge stemmed from SEPTA’s desires to reduce on-board cash handling and to push riders toward weekly and monthly passes.
But SEPTA said in a Dec. 7 letter to state Rep. Josh Shapiro (D-Montgomery) that it would look into installing new ticket machines at all of the 153 rail stations. Mr. Shapiro asked SEPTA officials last month to eliminate the surcharge and threatened to do so himself through legislation.
In a brief interview last week, Mr. Shapiro said ticket machines at rail stations would satisfy him.
“The goal is for riders to have an opportunity to purchase tickets from a booth or a ticket machine before they board,” he said. “I accept SEPTA’s argument that purchasing tickets on a train is too costly, but I do not accept a surcharge on riders with no other choice but to purchase it on a train.”
Of 153 rail stations, 75 lack ticket sales, and very few have booths that stay open into afternoons and weekends.
It remains unclear when or if such machines will hit the tracks.
In his letter to Mr. Shapiro, SEPTA board chairman Pasquale T. Deon said his staff had “been asked to research the cost of new ticket machines and look into the availability and cost of leased ticket machines to be made available until a new fare system is in place.”
Mr. Deon cautioned that any change in the fare structure would require public hearing, a process that takes months.