After halting planned fare hike, cuts, SEPTA works to refund riders who were overcharged on Labor Day
SEPTA is working to refund some riders who were incorrectly charged $2.90, instead of $2.50, on Monday after a judge halted the transit system from increasing fares that were scheduled to start in September amid service cuts, a spokesperson said.
In a news release on Monday night, SEPTA apologized and said any rider who was charged $2.90 instead of $2.50 will receive a refund of 40 cents to their original payment method as soon as possible.
"SEPTA has worked over the last several days to update applications that were programmed to charge the increase in fares starting today," the transit agency wrote in a news release. "So far, the incorrect charges have only been reported on a small number of buses that were in service [Monday]. While the issue is still being investigated, it is likely that the fare payment software on these buses did not receive the last-minute updates that kept prices frozen."
The issue affected Key Cards and contactless payment devices on buses, according to the transit authority. SEPTA said that no problems were reported at fare gate validators.
SEPTA is urging customers to review their fare charges on Monday and contact them if they have been overcharged. Riders who were overcharged can contact the Key Call Center at 1-855-56-SEPTA.
Before a judge granted an injunction that halted SEPTA from going forward with additional service cuts and fare increases, fares were set to jump by 21.5% on Monday. Then on Tuesday, service on Regional Rail lanes was set to be reduced. But that is also on hold due to the injunction.
SEPTA said it will also issue refunds to weekly and monthly riders who pre-purchased monthly passholders at higher rates.
SEPTA began service cuts at the end of August as the transit agency faces a $213 million budget deficit. Republicans and Democrats have yet to agree on how to fund SEPTA, but Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said last week that they were getting closer to a deal.
Last week, some SEPTA bus routes in Philadelphia were restored to help students commute to and from school.
Rep. Kenyatta walks to raise awareness for SEPTA funding crisis
Meanwhile, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, a Democrat, continued his walk from North Philadelphia to Harrisburg on Monday.
Kenyatta, who represents part of Philadelphia, criticized Republican leaders for what he described as efforts to divide rural and urban communities in the debate over public transit.
"We don't have to choose to invest in one community at the expense of another community. We can invest in everybody," Kenyatta said.
State lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have proposed plans to help SEPTA fill its budget gap, but they have not been able to agree on a plan that can pass both the state House and Senate.
During an interview with CBS News Philadelphia, Rashid Iberahim, of Middletown, approached Kenyatta and shared his fears about what the funding shortfall and drastic cuts could mean for riders.
"There will be people that will literally lose their jobs and die and just simply not have money for food because they won't be able to make it to work and they will lose their jobs. That's just the case," Iberahim said.
Philadelphia rider Cary Walker said the constant changes have made commuting difficult.
"It's impacted me in a way of scheduling and just trying to find a way to work and get there in an efficient way," Walker said. "It gets kind of confusing."
After about 82 hours and 45 minutes, Kenyatta completed the journey to Harrisburg Monday night, his office said. He is set to host a press conference in front of the capitol at 11 a.m. Tuesday.