4/16/2023 Regional Rail Schedule changes

It's so funny to re-read this and see that nearly 30 years later, SEPTA has not learned their lesson re: scheduling headways, fares, and signage.

I recently traveled on Sydney NSW's regional rail network. Using Apple Pay (with the company credit card added to the digital wallet on my watch) at every turnstile was easier than getting a OPAL card (the Sydney transit card) since that would have required finding a vending machine and purchasing the card and then putting money on it. The published prices for using Apple Pay or the OPAL card are the same.

I can't say I've ever been on any SEPTA service since last time I travelled to Philadelphia (in 2022), per SEPTA's site, it wasn't clear how I should purchase a one-way fare at 30th St Station, and it seems to state I could only purchase a card downtown. So I didn't use SEPTA.

Plenty of US cities use tap-to-pay credit cards / Apple Pay.

New York, Los Angeles, and Miami all allow you to just tap your phone or credit card and go. No surcharge over buying a regular ticket from a TVM—though in LA you can't get a day-pass except for via a TVM or app, so you could potentially pay more than you have to.

We were in San Diego recently, and their Metro system uses a proprietary app that generates QR-codes. It was truly awful. If the reader was in a sunny spot (common in San Diego), it was very hard to get it to read the code. Plus you have to scan your device before boarding the trolley—we missed a trolley this way because the reader wouldn't read it. Even worse, the system is set up to work with tap-to-pay physical cards, which trigger the NFC Apple Pay on your device (even though you can't use it to pay!).

I think Apple Pay + credit cards + a reloadable card option is the way to go. Something DIY and proprietary isn't.

It's a pity that SEPTA doesn't believe in widely-used standards, TVMs, or convenience.

dcipjr wrote: ↑Mon Apr 17, 2023 10:05 am It's a pity that SEPTA doesn't believe in widely-used standards, TVMs, or convenience.

Indeed - I sometimes think they want to corner Not Invented Here market.

A major reason the Key has been such a [expletive deleted] was because of their aforementioned insistence re-creating the legacy system. At various meetings I and many others asked why they didn't try to buy a system that had already been implemented and proven elsewhere. The answer was always that no other agency had such a wide range of fares and options; they had no alternative to an in-house design in order to maintain SEPTA's "uniqueness". And that in turn was rooted in the fear that any major rework of their fare model would disrupt their long-established understanding of the agency's revenue streams and possibly lock in lower overall collections.

Unfortunately the same N-I-H mindset has cropped up elsewhere. Reportedly when the NHSL Brill cars were on their last legs (wheels?) SEPTA looked into buying an existing design that could simply be tweaked for the NHSL's operating characteristics, much like how PCC streetcars were customized for disparate operating environments. Instead SEPTA insisted on a bespoke design that, while it's worked well in the long run, proved time-consuming and expensive to create.

dcipjr wrote: ↑Fri Apr 14, 2023 2:42 pm Regarding the parking, it has been wonderful to park at SEPTA stations for free when I have to go into the office.

I believe SEPTA should keep parking free.

If they want to enforce that only fare-paying riders use the parking lots, the obvious move would be to tie parking to the fare reader—enter your spot number, tap to start your fare, and they know that a commuter's car is in that spot.

Since not tapping out eventually charges you a full fare, that'll keep people from tapping their cards and not riding.

It's possible some poor design issues with the Key would prevent them from doing this, of course. After all, many other things have been accidentally made free by the Key's lack of design. (Senior Fares, Child Fares, etc.)

Bit late on the reply here but the "new" parking fee structure is already in the most recent tariff so I wouldn't count on things keeping the status quo forever. There was also a system wide lot audit a few weeks ago implying they are thinking about it. Then again they are already years late in implementation so who knows.