SEPTA fare hikes uncertain

Despite talk of fare hikes, SEPTA is still far from making any decisions.

SEPTA Director of Public Affairs Richard Maloney said November articles in the Philadelphia Inquirer that claimed SEPTA was planning to raise fares by 10 percent in 2010 were untrue.

At this point, there is “no way of knowing how much it will be raised,” Maloney said.

“We’re in the beginning process of designing our 2011 operating and capital budget,” he explained.

SEPTA will begin to make a proposal in March and will send recommendations at the end of April, according to Maloney.

In April, public hearings will also be held in all five counties served by the transit agency: Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware and Philadelphia.

At the end of May, the SEPTA Board will receive the recommendations.

“SEPTA’s fares remain comparable to those of other large American cities,” College senior Phil Dawson, chairman of the SEPTA Youth Advisory Council, wrote in an e-mail.

“Students don’t seem to feel that they’re excessive as long as they receive quality service in return,” he added.

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