SEPTA ticket machines
 

When i was at 30th st the other day i noticed that they had a sign up the ticket machines stating that they were taken out of service. There was no information as to if they would be replaced with modern NJT style machines just that they were taken out of use.

Worse yet if you board at a station that is not staffed you must pay the buy on board rate. While I will admit the machines weren't the greatest they still go the job done.

The machines did not accept any of the modern, redesigned bills. SEPTA is too cheap to replace/upgrade them.

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news...surcharge.html

It's pretty pathetic that SEPTA won't pony up for new ticket machines, especially at busier stations. But the whining from the public isn't much better. Unless you only take the train a couple of times a year (in which case the higher ticket prices matter little), it's easy to plan ahead.

For instance, if you take the R5 once a week to/from center city, buy a 10-ride ticket. Or, just buy two one-ways every time you're downtown. Use one for the outward journey and hold onto the other one from the trip downtown next week. Problem solved.

And in reality, SEPTA for decades has rewarded bus riders who buy tickets (that is, tokens) ahead of time. If you pay cash on board the bus, you pay a higher fare than if you used a token, which is basically a single-ride ticket purchased in advance. Furthermore, if you board a bus with only a $5 bill and expect change, you're out of luck. This is the way it is for bus riders the world over. It seems that commuter train passengers have been spoiled by not having to purchase in advance, and not having to have exact change.

My advice would be to get over it.

That being said, SEPTA really should purchase and install new ticket vending machines. You'd think they would ultimately pay for themselves by allowing them to cut back on ticket agents.

Well with communter trains costing several times more than a bus, I will contiune to expect a higher level of service.

I'll get over the extra few dollars, however it is industry standard to not charge a buy on board premium when a pax can't purchase a ticket at the station he boarded. This is the policy on MARC, NJT, Metra, and Metro-North.

You do get a higher level of service. You get where you're going faster and with fewer stops. You're far more likely to get an actual seat on a train. And even at un-staffed stations you have a covered area to wait, out of the rain (I'm sure there are some exceptions, and I also realize that some bus stops offer this, but the majority do not).

I do agree that it is the industry standard, and I also agree that this is the type of thing that will be a turn off to occasional riders, but regular SEPTA users won't really be phased by this after the initial learning curve. And I suspect that if money were not an issue, SEPTA would be buying new ticket machines for every station.

Instead of thinking of it as a penalty for buying on board, think of it instead as being an advance-purchase discount. Most sectors of the travel industry offer discounts for purchasing tickets in advance.

The only place I really see this as being unfair is for passengers arriving at PHL, who don't really have a good way of purchasing tickets in advance.

Admittedly, I'm not a big user of SEPTA from the airport to 30th street, but I don't know that I've ever seen those machines (at the airport) work.

But like you said in an earlier post, it is pretty easy to plan your trips to avoid this fee.

SEPTA is a little backwards and dont like new in any way (unless its free). Also they are continually crying poor to get more state/city?fed government funding and more fare increases. You can get a often soft drink from vending machines with bills and coins but SEPTA tickets are far too difficult. The new practice of charging for ticketing onboard where machines are unavailable is plain stupid.

MisterNice

On a recent ride from the airport the conductor never came through to collect tickets. So the discount I got from that should make up for a few buy on board penalties.

Maybe I wasn't clear with my previous post, I agree that a train has a much higher level of service than a bus. The point I was trying to make was that one of those services is being able to buy on board w/o a surcharge at stations where you can't buy tickets.

Well I'll be honest here I only use SEPTA for the R1 to the airport and I will continue to take it as long as it is cheaper than a cab to 30th st.

The R1 use to cost the same buy on board as buy in advance price. I think they did this because they realized they were charging a huge airport premium.

Starting today if you get dinged $1 to buy a ticket onboard a train when no machine is available, save the receipt and show it for a $1 credit when you buy your same day return ticket at a working booth.

MisterNice