SEPTA says that the transition to the SEPTA Key will bring an additional benefit for senior citizens. Starting September 1, the $1.00 fee for Regional Rail rides for travel within Pennsylvania will be eliminated. Discounted half-fares will remain in place for seniors traveling to-and-from New Jersey and Delaware. SEPTA’s Senior Free Ride Program for travel on Transit is funded by the Pennsylvania Lottery.
The start of free Regional Rail rides coincides with the phase out of paper PA Senior Citizen Transit ID Cards. Effective September 1st, seniors will need a SEPTA Key Senior Photo ID Card or a valid Pennsylvania Driver’s Licenses and Non-Driver IDs with a magnetic stripe on the back, which can still be swiped at turnstiles and fare boxes to receive the free Transit and Regional Rail rides. New licenses issued by PennDOT on or after July 2017 do not have magnetic stripes and cannot be used.
Most seniors who ride SEPTA have already made the switch to the SEPTA Key Senior Photo Identification Cards. Sign-ups began in late 2016, and more than 149,000 Key Senior Photo ID cards have been issued.
Seniors who have not yet signed up to get their new SEPTA Key Senior Photo ID Card can do so at the offices of many local elected officials, including state senators and representatives and Philadelphia City Council members. Registration is also available at the Transportation Management Associations (TMA) of Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.
Please call TMA Bucks in advance of your visit at 215-244-9082 to make sure a staff member will be in the office to sign you up!
Please allow four weeks for delivery of the card. Same-day cards are issued on weekdays at SEPTA Headquarters from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and at Suburban Station’s Accessible Travel Center from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
