PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — City Council is looking into whether Philadelphia students should be allowed to ride SEPTA more than just to and from school.
City Councilmember Rue Landau called for Tuesday's hearing to explore allowing student fare cards beyond 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on school days.
“SEPTA is their key to the city,” she said, “and due to restrictions to student passes, we are holding that key at arm's length.”
Boys Latin High School graduate RJ Campbell told Council he wants student fare cards to work beyond those hours. "Students do not stop being students after 8 p.m. We have track meets, basketball games [and] football games,” he said.
Giving SEPTA cards to all eligible students, and not just those in seventh grade and above who live more than 1 1/2 miles from school, would have a cost, according to SEPTA Chief Financial Officer Erik Johanson.
"Current time, date and month restrictions but total population eligibility would cost an extra $35 million,” he testified, adding that letting the passes work 24 hours a day, seven days a week year-round would cost the School District of Philadelphia an extra $60 million a year.
The state reimburses the school district for its current transportation costs, but Superintendent Tony Watlington testified there would be no reimbursement for expanding the use of student cards.
"The district is unable to absorb these costs within its existing budget without — and I want to underscore — without taking resources away from other vital education services," he said.
W.B. Saul High School student YaNia Strawberry, however, said it would actually cost the city not to extend the hours. “When we have access to see all the good that the city can do for us,” she said, “it puts a lot more money in your economy than it'll take out.”
