SEPTA offers free rides for seniors
There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but how about a free ride?
Since September, SEPTA has been offering free rides to all seniors aged 65 and older on all of its transit routes, including buses, trolleys, trackless trolleys, the Broad Street/Broad Ridge Spur Line, and the Market Frankford Line/ Norristown High Speed Line.
The previous $1 cash fare on all regional lines for travel within the state was also eliminated, though seniors still must pay half of the normal weekday fare for travel to and from New Jersey and Delaware.
With a footprint spanning some 2,200 square miles in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties, that’s a lot of travel possibilities for very little coin, and that doesn’t factor in trips to Trenton or Wilmington.
The free ride offer came as part of SEPTA rolling out its new Key fare system. The new system eliminated Senior Citizen Transit ID Cards, which are no longer valid for rides. A stateissued ID is also no longer accepted.
Seniors who pre-bought their discounted trip tickets need not despair if the change came before they could use them. Refunds can still be obtained for all tickets within one year of purchase by mailing in the unused tickets with their mailing address to: SEPTA Senior Ticket Refunds, P.O. Box 58609, Philadelphia PA,
19102.
Those who want to jump on the new senior Key system can purchase the card at SEPTA Headquarters at
1234 Market Street or the SEPTA Accessible Travel Center in Room 109 of Suburban Station. Those cards will be issued the same day, though anyone willing to wait to receive theirs by mail can visit participating area legislators. Seniors planning to visit a legislative office to enroll in the Key system should call ahead to check for participation.
The cards include photo identification, which can be obtained at the above locations, as well as community schools in the city, the Philadelphia Mayor’s office, city council district offices, and the Transportation Management Associations of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.
Key cards cost $4.95, but those who register their account within 30 days can have that fee automatically applied to future rides. The cards expire after four years and customers would do well to keep track of them – the first replacement card will cost $5 and each subsequent lost card costs $25 to replace.
Aside from free rides, the cards also grant certain perks at local businesses. Those wanting to grab a bite at Chickie’s and Pete’s before a Flyers game can simply flash their Key card and get a free order of crab fries by spending $20. Or get $4 off at Camden’s Adventure Aquarium, again simply by showing the ticket office attendant the Key card.
A full list of perks, as well as trip ideas, local happenings and destination hot spots is available online at iseptaphilly.com.