Uber To Offer Discounted Rides to SEPTA Commuters

SEPTA has announced a partnership with ride-sharing service Uber aimed at increasing access to the transit system throughout the region, they announced in a press release on Wednesday.

The partnership will launch as a summer pilot program, running from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, SEPTA said.

Uber rides to and from 11 different Regional Rail stations will now be discounted by 40 percent.

The maximum discount per ride is $10.

Stations affected include stops in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties, SEPTA said.

The stations selected for the pilot program are among SEPTA's busiest, with both high usage and limited parking, according to officials.

Stations include: Glenside, Jenkintown-Wyncote, Elkins Park, Melrose Park, Warminster, Doylestown, Lansdale, Woodbourne, Swarthmore, Wayne and Exton.

"SEPTA's partnership with Uber creates exciting new options in our ongoing efforts to provide residents with an efficient and comprehensive transportation network," SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel said in a statement. "We expect this to be a valuable service for our existing customers, and also hopefully a tool to bring new riders into the SEPTA system."

The pilot program is part of an ongoing study SEPTA is conducting on how the growing popularity of ride-sharing services could impact services. SEPTA noted that a recent study by the American Public Transportation Association found that ride-sharing is already complementing public transportation around the country, with more than 20 percent of riders currently using it to connect to services.

"Uber coupled with SEPTA's rail network becomes a powerful tool for Pennsylvanians to quickly and efficiently travel around the region, reducing reliance on automobiles, carbon emissions and more," said Jon Feldman, General Manager for Uber Pennsylvania. "Our technology platform has made it easier to move away from personal car ownership and embrace mass transit systems like SEPTA, invigorating transit throughout the region."

More on the program can be found here.