SEPTA Finally Improves One of My Biggest Complaints

If you’ve ever traveled on SEPTA with a group in Philadelphia or the immediate suburbs, you know how painful it can be to pay for your rides.

If someone is new to Philly and unsure how to pay or they’re struggling with their keycard or credit card, it can be frustrating to watch them struggle.

Unfortunately, you’ve basically had to watch them struggle because you’ve been unable to tap for multiple fares. Meaning once you’ve tapped your card (credit card or mobile pay), you cannot tap it again to let someone else on.

That all changes… now!

SEPTA (Finally) Launches Multi-Ride For Contactless Payments

SEPTA just announced that they’re launching their multi-rider feature for all contactless payments. It starts tomorrow (Friday, May 8). This means that customers on all modes of transportation (including buses, subways, trolleys and the Regional Rail) can tap their car to pay the fares for up to five riders.

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Previously this was only available on a pre-determined SEPTA keycard.

It’ll Be a Busy Year for SEPTA

The news comes as the city is expecting a busy spring and summer filled with events and visitors to the area, including this weekend’s PGA Championship. Plus, the city will host games for the FIFA World Cup, the MLB All Star Game, and more for the 250th birthday of America.

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“With the influx of people expected to flood the system this summer, the multi-rider feature will make travel more efficient and seamless for groups heading to the sports complex and other destinations across the city and region,” SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer said in a statement.

Contactless fares launched in 2023, and SEPTA says payments using contactless methods are up 20% from last year, which represents more than 50% of purchases on buses and the Metro (subway). During large events, contactless usage spikes by as much as 25%, the transit agency says.

Contactless fares cost the same as Travel Wallet with two free transfers for Bus and Metro trips, but often save riders a lot of time waiting in line to board a SEPTA vehicle.