SEPTA to increase revenue by selling subway scents

In an entrepreneurial move to expand its revenue base, SEPTA announced yesterday that it would start selling bottles of its trademark odor in a limited release at 30th Street Station.

"We've received so many queries asking us where that distinctive subway smell comes from that we decided we'd cash in on the interest," SEPTA spokesman Richard Maloney said, noting the agency's recent financial difficulties.

Earlier this year, Gov. Ed Rendell bailed out beleaguered transportation agencies across the state with $412 million from a windfall in federal highway money. However, SEPTA -- in a bid to prevent a similar crisis in the future -- has actively sought new sources of funding and ultimately honed in on the concept of bottled scents after months of market research.

Engineering sophomore Imbert Fung participated in one such focus group on campus.

"The first whiff strikes you hard," Fung said, noting that the odor was so strong it nearly knocked out his 200-pound frame.

But it is precisely this unforgettable aroma that has stirred student excitement.

Wharton sophomore Roanna Kong was looking forward to the launch of the product.

"I once waited 45 minutes for a train and I found the smell irresistible," she said, adding that the antiseptic flavor of the mass-transit system in her native Hong Kong paled in comparison.

Experts agreed that SEPTA's latest move is a wise step in its pursuit of service quality, though they have very little idea of what that means.

Noting the difficulty in interpreting customer feedback, Electrical and Systems Engineering professor Vukan Vuchic nonetheless applauded SEPTA's "bold innovation."

"It's takes a truly visionary leader to propose something like that," he said.

Still, there are some who plan to protest the business decision.

Engineering seniors Mehal Shah and Arthur Chan will stage a sit-in on College Green today.

"The best things in life should be free," Shah said.

Chan agreed, calling SEPTA's "blatant exploitation" of local residents "unethical."

Despite this dissent, Deeksha Hebbar -- a consultant at the New Jersey-based Mickey & Co. -- said that the transport agency shows no intentions of slowing down.

"If it were anybody else, the idea wouldn't even have made it past the drawing room," she said, citing "innate differences" between SEPTA's management and the average Philadelphia resident. "But they're SEPTA, and their commitment to quality drives them to do incredibly [bad] things."

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