March 02, 2020
SEPTA’s tap-to-exit program is scheduled to expand to 30th Street Station on Wednesday, making the initiative available at every Regional Rail station in Center City, the transit agency announced.
Riders with Key Cards, senior citizen passes, and magnetic stripe passes who get off at 30th Street Station will now be able to tap or swipe to exit at a small number of designated turnstiles in the station. Travelers will not be required to swipe or tap out at this point in the program, as customers who use paper tickets or cash can continue to use turnstiles that are not designated for the tap-to-exit initiative. However, SEPTA is encouraging riders to give it a try and get more familiar with the initiative.
Eventually, every rider will be required to tap or swipe to exit once the program is fully implemented across the Regional Rail system at every station. Travelers will have to tap in and out at their home station to start and end their trip, and SEPTA hopes to have the tap-to-exit initiative up and running at all of its stations across the entire rail system by this spring.
SEPTA officials will be on hand to assist customers, and signs will direct riders to which turnstiles to use for the tap-to-exit program. As more riders become more accustomed to the program, the number of designated turnstiles in Center City stations will increase.
The hours during which riders will need to swipe or tap out at 30th Street Station is unclear as of now, but at other Center City stations during the rollout, the program was implemented from 6:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. on weekdays.
SEPTA’s tap-to-exit program began its rollout across Center City two months ago at Jefferson Station and continued last month at Suburban Station, Penn Medicine Station (formerly known as University City Station), and Temple University Station.
Rather than purchasing monthly passes, commuters soon will be able to pay for single-ride Regional Rail tickets using the SEPTA Travel Wallet, which is expected to make its debut this spring as well.
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