Student Fare Card
July 8, 2021
After a successful pilot program earlier this year, The School District of Philadelphia and SEPTA announced that a new Student Fare Card will replace weekly Student TransPasses starting in August 2021.
About 65,000 eligible students in Philadelphia will receive a SEPTA Student Fare Card, a contactless, reusable chip card that students can use to get to and from school during the 2021-2022 school year. The transition aligns with SEPTA’s transformation from its previous manual fare collection system to automated via SEPTA Key. And the transition to a reusable card will help reduce students' carbon footprint. It will also provide safety measures to protect against lost or stolen cards.
Students can “tap” up to eight times per day using the Fare Card between the hours of 5:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. on any bus, trolley or subway on school days. If a student prefers to utilize Regional Rail, they can upgrade their student Fare Card at designated SEPTA stations for about $10 per 5-day school week.
Eligible students will receive their Fare Card when they return to in-person learning on the first day of school. The Student Fare Card will remain active as long as the student remains eligible and enrolled in that school.
SEPTA also announced student riders will be able to ride for free on the first day of school on Tuesday, August 31, 2021.
We look forward to welcoming students back on SEPTA and providing them with a more convenient way to access the system. Our number one priority will always be the safety of our employees and riders - including students who take SEPTA to school.
For more information, please visit the District’s SEPTA Student Fare Card webpage.
