As SEPTA begins treating fare evasion as a crime, Temple students returning to Philadelphia this semester can now expect a summary citation instead of the $25 ticket originally issued for turnstile jumping.
Punishments for fare evasion can now include stricter fines, community service hours and harsher penalties following SEPTA’s change in June. The maximum penalty for summary offenses in Pennsylvania is 90 days in jail.
SEPTA Transit Police Inspector James Zuggi is hoping that criminalizing fare evasion will help stop crime before it happens, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.
“Most if not all of the perpetrators are fare evaders to get into the system,” Zuggi said. “It may not always be a major crime. Sometimes it’s smoking on a train, or using narcotics. But we want to address that at the gate.”
In 2019, SEPTA dropped the $300 fine for fare evasion to $25 and no criminal charges.
As of 2023, the number of passengers transported by SEPTA’s railway, trolley bus and motor bus services was roughly 174 million. That number has steadily increased since the drop in riders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s recent policy change requiring in-person work for city workers, the need for public transportation in the city will likely continue to increase.
Ryan Van Vreede, a freshman global studies major, thinks paying fares is important, but that the punishment is excessive.
“I think people should be paying fares because it is important for the upkeep of the transit systems,” Van Vreede said. “Do I think jail time and court is necessary and fair? Not really. Do I think it will deter people from avoiding fares? Yes.”
SEPTA has been trying to crack down on fare evaders for years, with one of its most recent efforts including the implementation of a new gate system to replace the traditional turnstile at 69th Street Station. The $1 million experiment was piloted in April 2024, and SEPTA CEO Leslie Richards said her goal was to put the new gate through the entire subway system across the city.
Now less than a year after the new gate was unveiled at 69th Street Station, fare evasion has been criminalized. However, the gate has not been implemented at the Cecil B. Moore station on Temple’s campus and students and Philadelphia residents alike still jump the turnstile, The Temple News found after observing the Cecil stop on campus.
SEPTA officials estimate that about one in four riders evade fares. It is also estimated that between $30 million to $68 million in revenue is lost due to fare evaders each year, the Inquirer reported.
Many residents do not know about the recent change in punishment for fare evasion. There are no signs at the stations notifying passengers about the change.
Shadae Williams, a long time Philadelphia resident, uses SEPTA to get her son to school every weekday. She had not previously heard of the stricter laws and believes the criminalization of fare evasion is another way for the city to take from its residents.
“We need to look at society and think about how a lot of us don’t have and when we try to have, it all gets taken from us with taxes and little things like that,” Williams said. “Let’s be clear, we do not have money around here.”
According to an April 2024 study by The Pew Charitable Trusts, roughly one in five Philadelphia residents live below the poverty line.
There were 2,504 tickets issued for fare evasion between January-June 2024. There have been about 700 summary citations since the change in June, according to data from the Inquirer.
Philadelphia resident Gerald Dean, uses SEPTA at least 10 times a week. He said the SEPTA workforce has been limited and sometimes there are no attendants to assist cash users. He believes that encourages fare evaders who feel like they do not have another option.
“[I am] totally against any kind of criminalization,” Dean said. “A $25 fee is more than enough to equate to the crime.”
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