PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — SEPTA is stiffening fines and beefing up enforcement for quality-of-life offenses amid a post-pandemic surge of low-level crimes on the system.
Starting July 1, the transit agency is raising most fines for offenses including smoking, drug use and public urination from $25 to between $100 and $150.
In 2019, SEPTA backed off from criminal enforcement for such offenses. Instead, offenders got $25 tickets that were not enforceable in court. The move was an attempt to address a criminal court backlog and reduce overtime costs when SEPTA police officers went to court to testify.
“It's clear that it did not work the way we intended,” said SEPTA Police Chief Charles Lawson, admitting the strategy did not reduce anti-social behavior on SEPTA. “Not only did it not reduce it, it has skyrocketed.”
SEPTA Transit Police issued more than 7,000 tickets for fare evasion, smoking, drug use and other infractions.
“By the end of this month, June, we will have surpassed all of last year's enforcement in half a year,” Lawson said.
“Fare evasion leads the way for us, followed by smoking. Open marijuana use, disorderly conduct, they're kind of the big ones for us,” Larson explained.
People who get tickets can opt to pay the fine or schedule a court date with the city's Office of Administrative Review.
SEPTA will continue to ban offenders who get more than four tickets in a year.
Lawson said as it works to rebuild ridership, SEPTA is serious about low-level crimes.
“We are in the business of returning this system to law and order,” he said. “This is not just about enforcing what the law is. We are trying to change a behavior that was adopted over the last four years.”