PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — SEPTA is cracking down on people who skip paying fares by deploying extra officers to selected stations throughout the system to discourage fare evasion.
It's a common sight for regular commuters. "Every single day, there is somebody that — probably multiple times when I'm here — jumps fares," a rider told KYW Newsradio.
They either pry open the gates, follow closely behind a paying customer before the gates close, or simply jump the turnstile. It's a problem that deprives the cash-strapped transit agency of critical revenue, said SEPTA Police Chief Chuck Lawson.
"The reality is, it's in the multiple millions of dollars. It could be as high as $30 million," Lawson told reporters Friday at the Market-Frankford Line's Huntingdon Station in Kensington. "It's too much, and we have to get our hands around this."
Lawson said it's particularly problematic at the ADA gates. "They're wider, they stay open a little bit longer."
Lawson said more than 2,000 citations for fare evasion were issued in the first quarter of this year. Fines for skipping a $2.50 fare can range from $100 to $300.
Last year, the transit agency installed nearly full-length fare gates on the L at 69th Street. Lawson says those gates have cut down fare evasion by 30%.
"We're suffering dramatic losses right now. And any amount helps the budget, and what we need from the farebox."
SEPTA plans to install the taller fare gates at more stations. The City Hall Station on the Broad Street Line is next to get them this summer, Lawson said. By early 2026, the taller gates are expected to be installed at Cecil B. Moore on the Broad Street Line and 11th, 13th, Huntingdon, Somerset, Allegheny, the Frankford Transportation Center and 52nd Street on the Market-Frankford Line.
The enforcement blitz began Friday morning at the Huntingdon Station, with a half dozen transit officers visibly positioned at the turnstiles.
"Our customers like us throwing a lot of the kitchen sink at this issue," Lawson said. "We're going to move this all around and let them see this all over the system."