Who pays when seniors ride SEPTA for free
One reader wondered if Pennsylvania reimbursed SEPTA for trips seniors take, and why senior cards make a different sound at turnstiles.
For Paul Ziegler, 69, becoming a senior feels “new.”
The Montgomery County resident saw SEPTA’s free rides for seniors as a bit of joy that allows him to have new experiences exploring Philly.
That was until someone told him he was taking away from Pennsylvania’s budget by riding for free. Concerned, he asked Curious Philly, The Inquirer’s forum for questions about the city and region: Does the state reimburse SEPTA for each trip I take? And why does my SEPTA Senior card make a different sound at the turnstile?
Seniors’ free rides are not taken from the Pennsylvania’s budget or SEPTA’s. The money covering those passes comes from the Pennsylvania Lottery.
The lotto funds multiple senior programs, including meals, prescription assistance, care services, property tax assistance, rent rebates, and public transportation, including the SEPTA Senior Fare program, according to SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch.
Any Philadelphian 65 or older can get a free ride on SEPTA‘s buses, trolleys, subways, Norristown High Speed Line, and Regional Rail in Pennsylvania.
The amount of money from the lottery allocated for this comes from a formula based on the amount of recorded senior ridership, Busch said.
Between 2022 and 2023, more than $145.1 million in lottery funds became about 24.2 million free transit rides statewide, according to the Pennsylvania Lottery.
In Philly, this helped “hundreds of thousands Philadelphia-area seniors” to access free rides, Busch said.
To Ziegler, this was a relief.
“That’s good, I am not stealing,” he said. “I want to make sure the transit is there for everyone, because I know how helpful having access to it is for me.”
A longtime Lansdale/Doylestown Line rider, Ziegler said he doesn’t think he would take the train into Philly as often as he does if he had to pay over $5 each way.
But one thing Ziegler doesn’t like is the different sound his senior fare card makes.
The “specific warble,” as Busch described it, is meant to alert operators and cashiers that seniors (or any other specialty fare users) are traveling to monitor for improper use of free-ride cards.
The SEPTA Key Senior card is valid for four years — provided card glitches aren’t showing that they’re prematurely expired. They can also provide seniors 50% off weekday fares when traveling to New Jersey or Delaware.
Applying for a SEPTA Senior Fare Card is necessary to be eligible for free rides. Appointments are strongly encouraged.
For Ziegler, the process is worth it and didn’t take long.
“Just think about all sorts of restaurants, markets, history, bookstores, and record stores, you will get to see in Philly,” he said.