There’s no doubt, students who rely on public transportation have been worried about the possibility of SEPTA fare increases over the past few months.Transportation is probably the last thing we remember to factor in to our loans, long after calculating our ration of beer and sneakers.
While the number of students residing on campus is climbing fast, there are still 13,000 undergraduate students who commute to Temple each day. Can you even imagine how much homework gets done when you calculate 13,000 30-minute rides on the R6? Dayum.
While we may have exhaled a sigh of relief when Judge DeVito blocked SEPTA’s elimination of transfer passes, SEPTA is still appealing the decision. Many think that SEPTA has no where else to turn. But others say that SEPTA is turning its back on its most loyal customers- the customers that rely on it.
Fox School of Business professor Frederic Murphy participated this week in a roundtable series led by the Metro and Philadelphia Forward evaluating SEPTA’s problems. Marc Stier of Neighborhood Networks and Young Involved Philadelphia’s Erik Johanson also weighed in. This week’s question: Should transit agencies like SEPTA be responsible for going beyond federal regulations to protect low-income mass transit riders?
Their answers after the jump.
Steir comes correct:
Stier: Eliminating transfers raises fares 37 percent on riders who use one transfer and 55 percent on riders who use two. The average fare increase is 11 percent and some suburban train fares have been reduced….
All we transit activists want now is for SEPTA to treat rich and poor, and city residents and suburbanites equally.
Murphy takes a moderate position compared to his counterparts, saying little beside the facts.
Murphy: The agency does not have enough money to meet its transit mission.
Thanks for the info, Murph- You’re like the Nostradamus of transit. Be sure to remind 13,000 Temple commuters that SEPTA is the one running out of money.
Temple Living will have two stories related to SEPTA and commuting in the upcoming October 8th issue:
- An exploration of residential life versus commuting by undressing various aspects of the commuter lifestyle
- A look at life as a SEPTA worker
Reformer’s Round Table: SEPTA and the poor (Metroblog via SeptaWatch)
Further Reading: SEPTA to City: Stick It (Young Philly Politics)
