PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — SEPTA is still repairing the digital damage done by a cyberattack last summer, and a system that monitors the number of passengers is still down for the count.
An August malware attack knocked out SEPTA's real-time arrival apps, email and the ability to access some shared databases. Those functions have been restored, but one system that remains down is the Automatic Passenger Counting (APC) system. "It's one of the main things that isn't back, in terms of our ability to collect data from out in the field," SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch told KYW Newsradio.
Small devices mounted over the doors of about a quarter of SEPTA's buses and trolleys help SEPTA monitor COVID-19 passenger limits and track ridership. Busch said the APC restoration is just about finished.
"We're estimating that they're going to be back toward the end of this month," he said. "By the end of January, we expect to have that tool back."
APC is a key mechanism to help maintain the COVID-19 rider limits, which range from 20 to 30 people, depending on the vehicle. SEPTA has been using observations by drivers and fare counts to keep track of ridership, and Busch says SEPTA has been 90% compliant with passenger limits.
Busch said the total cost of the malware attack is still being calculated. "We've had to build back our IT systems," he said. "We're doing it in a secure way and doing everything possible to make sure that we don 't suffer this kind of attack again."