PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Thanks to a new city program, thousands of underserved Philadelphia residents will be riding SEPTA for free by Jan. 1. Officials hinted that the number could grow in the future.
The second batch of SEPTA fare cards is being mailed to low-income residents that were chosen out of a lottery of eligible participants as part of Philly’s Zero Fare pilot program. Officials made the announcement at the city’s Public Health Center Number 2 at Broad and Morris streets in South Philly.
Anyone with a Zero Fare card can travel to and from work for free and use it on their personal time for any purpose, such as medical and legal appointments.
The $62 million program launched last month and is funded for two years. Officials say there are built-in evaluations to determine whether to expand it beyond that. Mayor Jim Kenney hopes to see it expand.
“If we are successful in building out this program beyond the two-year pilot, Zero Fare will help to increase economic mobility, improve quality of life and help all residents and their neighborhoods thrive and grow,” he said.
Pointing to a recent community needs assessment, Kenney said, “39% of our residents in poverty cited transportation as their biggest obstacle to finding and sustaining employment.”
In addition to economic boosts for Philadelphians, Kenney believes there are environmental advantages as well. “This project also aligns with our city’s commitment to address the climate crisis by investing in transit to reduce congestion, decrease emissions and improve air quality,” he said.
Anu Thomas, executive director of Esperanza Immigration Legal Services, thinks the program could help her clients achieve independence.
“They might not be able to attend an appointment where we need their signatures to get an immigration application out the door, because they didn’t have access to transportation,” she said, “so this is about being able to manage your own needs and necessities.”
Hundreds of city residents already have the cards and officials say they’ve seen thousands of taps so far.