Thread by @AmandaWorking

A short story from a dedicated but very frustrated public transit user. Disclosure: I have been a monthly pass holder for nigh on 20 years and I vote for candidates who want to increase funding for SEPTA.

THAT SAID: Yesterday I tried to take five of my sobrinos on an outing. They are ages 5-12. In the old days, I would have purchased a 10-pack of tokens for them, and been set. (Since my pass takes me everywhere.) /2

But SEPTA no longer sells tokens. So I went to the ticket office to inquire about my options. Turns out: Can't do the family pass -- that's for 2 adults and 3 kids. Remember, I was going to be 1 adult and 5 kids (turned out to be 2 adults and 5 kids, actually). 3/

The option SEPTA is foisting on us now that tokens are gone is the Key card. I own one (1) Key card for guests. I can't use it myself because they haven't rolled out the Key card to my zone yet. 4/

I was not about to buy 5 more Key cards and pay $25 in service fees PLUS $20 in fares just to take the kids on the subway. (Yes, that is really how much it would have cost.) /5

And no, you can't have multiple people use the same Key card, even though theoretically it would be easy to debit multiple trips at the same time. 6/

(Why couldn't we walk? Short time headway between train and theater event. Why not taxi? Can't safely fit 5 kids and me in one taxi.) 7/

Per the ticket agent, my only choice is to buy so-called "Quick Trips" (one-time subway passes). But YOU CAN'T BUY THOSE IN ADVANCE. You have to buy them the day of use. So now I have to budget extra time between our regional rail train trip and our subway trip to do that. /8

Yesterday comes. Now I'm in the subway station with 5 antsy kids and one supportive but non-transit-savvy partner. I stand in line. I go to buy the day passes. /9

Turns out there is a LIMIT on the number of day passes you can buy in one transaction. The limit is 8. But of course I need 12 -- to cover round-trip subway travel for 5 kids + 1 adult. /10

I buy 8. There are very impatient people behind me so I step aside and let them purchase what they need. Back to the machine. I buy another 4. /11

(Aside: I'm also forced to pay a surcharge here. In the old days, a 10-pack of tokens would have cost me $1.80 per ride. If I could use a Key card that I already had, I'd be paying $2.00 per ride. But instead I'm stuck paying the cash fare of $2.50 per ride.) /12

We take the subway. It is fine. The theater is lovely. (@ArdenTheatreCo is always a winner.) We take the subway back. Kids get home safely. They had a city adventure and I introduced them to the wonders of public transit. /13

But this was a HUGE headache. And I'm a college-educated, English-speaking, well-paid professional who has extra time for planning and a credit card to cover unexpectedly higher transit costs. Most SEPTA users aren't like me. /14

When SEPTA took away the token, they killed all of these idiosyncratic situations. Field trips, errands, medical appointments -- wherever I might take kids or out-of-town guests, I can't do it. /15

I'm just not going to buy 5-6 different Key cards and keep them all straight in my head in terms of expiration dates, travel wallet $ balances, etc. It's a huge logistical headache -- and again, I'm extremely privileged compared to the avg user! /16

I'm bellyaching about this publicly because I *know* SEPTA was repeatedly warned about this issue by multiple people (I was one of them) before they rolled out the Key card, and they deliberately chose not to address it. /17

They are convinced this is an unlikely situation. It's not. (I mean, not many aunts take 5 kids to the theater, I'll grant you. But the general idea of a regular transit user shepherding occasional users on a trip happens hundreds of times a day on SEPTA, I guarantee it.) /17

This is a textbook example of people in decisionmaking roles deciding that certain situations are "edge cases" that won't happen very often, and refusing to plan for them. While ppl w different life experiences say over & over that they ARE common. /18

And again: I love SEPTA! I brag about it to people in other cities! I defend it to Philadelphians! Almost all of the SEPTA employees I deal with are pleasant and lovely people doing a hard job! But this is just a massive, massive blind spot. /19

Before people pop up to Explain Things: Yes, I know that SEPTA still sells tokens in group sales to nonprofits. That would not help me in in this situation or others like it. /20

And yes, I know that SEPTA will refund you the $5 (okay, $4.95) Key card fee if you register the card. But they will only do that for a max of 2 cards. And you're not supposed to register 5-6 cards in one person's name. /21

Again, I just have to believe that the folks making these decisions have 0 friends and family who live by the kind of constant juggling that I just described. The kind of "my neighbor is taking my kid to school today and I am taking hers to the doctor's tomorrow" situation. /22

WE ARE THE POOREST BIG CITY IN AMERICA. Sorry for being shouty but it's very very germane. More than 1 in 4 people in our city are POOR. The difference between $2 and $2.50 is a lot to them! pewtrusts.org/en/research-an… /23

It is shameful that we are not insisting that our transit system do better. It is shameful that WE are not doing better. I love my city and we can do better than this!

That's all for now. Thanks for listening. If you agree with me, contact @SEPTA_SOCIAL and say so. /25