Seniors Will Soon Ride Regional Rail Free of Charge

Photo courtesy of SEPTA

Starting September 1st, SEPTA is waiving the dollar fee for all senior Regional Rail riders.

Announced on Thursday, the move is part of transitioning Regional Rail to SEPTA Key, the reloadable chip-card that will phase out tokens and magnetic-strip train passes — and it’s thanks to funding from the Pennsylvania Lottery that the Senior Free Ride Program is made possible.

Seniors in the city already take the subways, busses, and trolleys free of charge — and the Regional Rail reduction now stands to make many senior suburbanites’ commutes completely free.

But, there’s one hitch: The paper SEPTA senior ID card is obsolete. So in order for Philly seniors to claim free fare, a SEPTA Key Senior Photo ID Card — or a Pennsylvania Driver’s License or ID card — must be present to swipe at turnstiles and fare kiosks.

Have you heard? 65 is the new 55. And thanks to SEPTA Key, effective 9/1, Seniors can ride FREE all day, every day on #SEPTA Buses, Trolleys, Subways, AND Regional Rail! Learn more: https://t.co/T3rtsQLSGG! #ISEPTAPHILLY pic.twitter.com/G9yfh6tVTp

— ISEPTAPHILLY (@SEPTAPHILLY) August 3, 2018

If you’re willing to wait, you can apply for your SEPTA Key Senior Photo ID Card at many local elected officials’s offices, SEPTA says, but be ready to wait up to four weeks to have it mailed. You can apply for and receive your ID the same day at the SEPTA headquarters downtown, or at the Accessible Travel Center at Suburban Station. Have a valid form of ID on hand before you go.

SEPTA is even offering discounts for unused tickets after the program starts, issuing reimbursements at a rate of 85 cents for tickets — and applicants have until the end of the year to do so.

With a mailing address included, mail your unused tickets to:

SEPTA Senior Ticket Refunds
PO Box 58609
Philadelphia, PA 19102-8609