After four years, SEPTA will reinstate phased-in parking fees on Monday

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — After four years of free parking, SEPTA will reinstate parking fees starting Monday, September 23.

Fees will be reintroduced in phases, officials said. The reinstatement schedule is posted on SEPTA.org.

SEPTA suspended parking fees in 2020 to encourage customers to use the public transportation system again when the pandemic hit, according to SEPTA.

“We wanted to make it free as we grew ridership post-pandemic,” said SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch.

The reinstated parking fees are:

– Surface lots (96 SEPTA-owned locations): $2 per day, up from the previous cost of $1 per day.

– Garages (3 locations: Frankford Transportation Center, Norristown Transportation Center, and Lansdale Station): $4 per day, up from the previous cost of $2 per day.

Parking in surface car parks will remain free on weekends and holidays.

Busch told Action News the new fees are expected to generate an additional $6 million in revenue.

The additional cash will go toward maintenance and help address the transit agency’s $240 million budget shortfall.

“It helps our bottom line. We offset the costs and then add a little bit to our bottom line,” Busch said.

Jordan Toy is one of several customers who will start paying for parking Monday. He tells Action News he often parks at the Fern Rock Transportation Center to commute to work and to Center City on weekends.

He added that free parking has made commuting to work easier over the past few years.

“It’s really helpful not to have to pay for parking,” Toy said. “It’s just something extra I don’t have to do at 6 a.m. when I’m on my way to catch the train.”

He said he is not concerned about the fare increase, but he does have concerns about SEPTA’s new app, which is a payment method.

“The main issue I have is that they created a whole new parking app that now everyone has to download — something in addition to the three other apps that SEPTA has,” Toy explained.

SEPTA said it has awarded Flowbird America a $12.3 million contract to develop a “new, state-of-the-art parking system that will streamline fare collection and enhance customer convenience.”

Passengers will be able to pay for parking using the SEPTA Park app, at kiosks or by text message.

Mesfin Fassail said that although he uses free parking, the introduction of paid parking has been long overdue.

He also added that by paying $2, he pays significantly less than for parking in Center City.

“It’s a gift to people over the last few years,” he said. “Go downtown, parking is $15, $17, $18. That’s a fair price.”

SEPTA said its “ambassadors” will be on site to answer questions.

Parking enforcement officers will read license plates using cameras mounted on vehicles, SEPTA said, and tickets or warnings will be issued to illegally parked vehicles.

For more information, visit SEPTA.org.