SEPTA would like to remind senior riders that effective Saturday, Sept. 1, they will need a SEPTA Key Photo ID Card or a valid Pennsylvania Driver’s License or Non-Driver ID with a magnetic strip to receive free rides. Paper PA Senior Citizen Transit ID Cards will no longer be accepted.
Seniors 65 and older are eligible to participate in SEPTA’s Senior Free Ride Program, which is funded by the Pennsylvania Lottery. Starting Sept. 1, the program will be expanded to include free rides on Regional Rail within Pennsylvania, eliminating the current $1 fare. Discounted half-fares will remain in place for seniors traveling to-and-from New Jersey and Delaware on Regional Rail.
Most seniors who ride SEPTA have already made the switch to the SEPTA Key Senior Photo ID Cards. Sign-ups began in late 2016, and more than 155,000 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 get same-day cards 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
Seniors can also sign up for SEPTA Key Senior Photo ID Cards 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.
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.
