PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Free rides for Drexel University faculty and staff? Sorry, that train has left the station. After two years, the university is pulling the brakes on a travel benefit that allows workers to ride SEPTA at no cost.
Employers participating in SEPTA’s Key Advantage program purchase transit passes at a deep discount and distribute them to workers for free.
“What this does is provides an institutional pass for their employees to ride SEPTA,” said spokesman Andrew Busch.
Drexel has been part of the program since its inception, but the university says it will pull the plug on Oct. 1.
“This was launched in May of 2022, and Drexel was one of our founding partners along with Wawa and Penn Medicine,” Busch said.
Those three major Philadelphia employers were enlisted in a six-month pilot to increase ridership, which had dropped precipitously through the COVID-19 pandemic, and to incentivize workers to return to their Center City and University City offices. It was successful, and SEPTA expanded the program over time to include more and more businesses.
However, Drexel says a significant spike in cost is preventing the university from re-enrolling.
Busch says SEPTA does propose periodic cost increases, based on ridership analyses, and the latest proposal does not exceed the terms of the agreement.
“These passes are at a huge discount compared to what you would pay retail for a pass, so it is still a significant discount,” he said.
Drexel's decision to opt out notwithstanding, Busch says the program continues to be successful, having grown to include 55 employers and 95,000 riders.
“We still do see a lot of growth with this program, and the feedback has been great from people who participate in it.”
In lieu of Key Advantage, Drexel University is urging employees to enroll in the Drexel Commuter Benefit program before Sept. 1. SEPTA Key will no longer be free for Drexel workers, but the commuter benefit will help them save some money by allowing them to use a portion of their pre-tax paycheck to fund their transit.