With $150 million in state funding and additional revenues from Monday's fare hike coming in, SEPTA officials finally have a golden ticket to put Philadelphia's mass-transit system on the right track.
SEPTA has long postponed ticketing-system improvements because of inadequate state funding. But now that funding has finally arrived, SEPTA needs to make modernization of fare collection its number-one priority. Three changes: install ticketing machines in all stations, adopt automated fare collection and develop stored-value fare cards for riders.
These initiatives will certainly prove costly. But the long-term benefits from this investment - including more efficient service, lower operational costs and convenience for riders - far outweigh any short-term expenses.
Neighboring city-transit systems have already made the investment - and reaped the rewards. In 1991, New York City's subway system embarked on a crusade to automate its fare collection. And by 1998, subway ridership in New York had increased 25 percent, thanks in part to the shift from tokens to electronic fare cards. A year later, Washington D.C.'s transit system introduced the SmarTrip card, helping the agency drastically reduce the $7 million it spent each year on managing cash transactions.
In short, when it comes to modernizing fare collection, the train has already left the station. Automated payment and electronic fare cards are no longer novelty items for transit agencies. They're essential. These improvements provide SEPTA with the only means of escape from a never-ending cycle of budget deficits and fiscal problems.
Of course, modernizing SEPTA's ticketing system will require enormous commitment from transit and city administrators. But the potential rewards for SEPTA and the region are enormous as well. After all, if Philadelphia wants to become America's Next Great City, it can't rely on a mass-transit system that's stuck in the 20th Century.
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