SEPTA Introduces Smart-Pay System, But Regional Rail Use Likely Years Away

By Alison Smith:

SEPTA on Thursday offered a look at its new smart-pay system, which it is calling SEPTA Key.

The system, which SEPTA said eventually will replace “tokens, paper tickets and magnetic stripe passes,” uses “contactless payment devices.”

In layman’s terms, riders will pay using a tap, rather than a swipe, of a credit card, smartphone or SEPTA-issued card.

“This project will reach every SEPTA rider,” SEPTA General Manager Joseph M. Casey said. “It is important that we do everything possible to ensure its readiness before the launch.”

The Philadelphia Inquirer says that launch, for some, will be a long time coming.

The current timeline has SEPTA Key being introduced on buses and the Market-Frankford and Broad Street subways in 2015, the Inquirer said. Regional Rail implementation won’t come until 2016.

“Tokens - for many, the symbol of SEPTA’s decades-old fare system - will continue to be used during the initial SEPTA Key roll-out,” the transit authority said. “SEPTA will give advanced public notice before tokens are phased out.”

Equipment testing for SEPTA Key will begin in December, SEPTA said.