SEPTA Vows to Battle Ridership Gains
March 18, 2008 –
SEPTA officials yesterday pledged to battle the substantial subway, trolley, and bus ridership gains that were reported by the American Public Transportation Association last week. "We were extremely disappointed by news of a 26% yearly gain in our light rail ridership, and of a 1% gain in subway ridership," admitted SEPTA General Manager Joseph Casey. "Even the relatively small .04% gain in bus ridership is upsetting to us. A gain is still a gain."
 Revenue officer John McGee outlined SEPTA's plan to drive its ridership back down to acceptable levels. "It's imperative that we return to our latent strengths: jacked-up fares, filthy, dangerous stations, and oddly tacky stains on our torn, graffiti-ed seats," he said. "These are features that our customers have, quite simply, come to expect from SEPTA over the years." Casey had similar words. "When you think of harrowing, unpleasant public-transit experiences, people think 'SEPTA,'" he said. "Or at least they used to. So we must once again remind commuters of the charms of sky-high gas prices, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and vein-popping road rage."
The city's mass-transit riders, meanwhile, welcomed SEPTA's responsiveness. "They really do need to address the situation, because it's a little strange, having all these people on the trolley," said 68-year-old Francisville resident Phyllis Reynolds. Pete Taylor, 44, of West Oak Lane, agreed. "The empty stations and that sort of wild-west feel are a part of what makes SEPTA so special," he said. "If [ridership keeps increasing], those sorts of things might be lost forever." Casey, for one, seemed eager to assuage such fears. "We are every bit as concerned as our commuters by the APTA report, and we will do everything in our power to halt these unwelcome gains," he vowed. "After all, we are SEPTA."
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