The transition to the SEPTA Key will bring an additional benefit for senior citizens. Starting Sept. 1, the $1 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 allow four weeks for delivery of the card. Same-day cards are issued on weekdays at SEPTA Headquarters from 8 am to 6 pm, and at Suburban Station’s Accessible Travel Center from 8 am to 4:30 pm. To receive a SEPTA Key Senior Photo ID Card, applicants must fill out an application and show one of the following forms of identification:
- Pennsylvania Driver/Non-Driver ID
- Birth Certificate or Baptismal Certificate
- Yellow PACE Card (Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the elderly)
- Statement of Age Verification from the U.S. Social Security Administration
- Armed Forces Discharge/Separation Papers
- Resident Alien Card or Passport/Naturalization Papers
As many senior Regional Rail customers pre-purchase discounted 10-trip strips of tickets ($8.50/$.85 per ticket), SEPTA will provide refunds (https://www.septa.org/key/updates/2018-05-senior-citizen-id-cards.html#discount) to those who have unused tickets after Sept. 1. Refunds will be issued at the rate of $.85 per ticket. Customers can obtain a refund by mailing the original tickets along with their mailing address to: SEPTA Senior Ticket Refunds, PO Box 58609, Philadelphia, PA 19102-8609. Requests for refunds must be mailed no later than Dec. 31, 2018.
For more information about the SEPTA Key Senior Photo ID, visit https://www.septa.org/key, or call SEPTA Customer Service at (215) 580-7800.
