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Liz Wright of Northeast Philadelphia with new TransPasses. What to do to exchange your old ones, B7.
TOM GRALISH / Staff Photographer
Liz Wright of Northeast Philadelphia with new TransPasses. What to do to exchange your old ones, B7.
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Posted on Tue, Nov. 10, 2009


Two breaks for commuters

Unpunched TransPasses are good for exchange or credit. Free SEPTA tokens will be available.

By Peter Mucha

Inquirer Staff Writer

Time for a couple of givebacks for strike-beleaguered SEPTA commuters.

Anyone who has an unpunched TransPass valid for last week is entitled to an exchange or credit, even if the pass was partially used, SEPTA announced yesterday.

And today and tomorrow, free SEPTA tokens - worth $2 for rides on buses, trolleys, and subways - will be given out from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at 15th and Market Streets, courtesy of Stovetop, the stuffing-mix maker.

Holders of eligible weekly TransPasses - usually honored on buses, subways, and trolleys - have until Dec. 31 to turn them in for new ones, SEPTA said. Those with monthly passes should finish using this month's pass, then surrender it to get a $20 discount for a December, January, or February pass.

Weekly TransPasses cost $20.70, while the monthly passes cost $78.

Eligible customers may use any sales location, SEPTA said. People with passes obtained through an employer program or a pre-tax program, however, must mail in their requests along with their passes.

Punched passes will not be honored. The punch indicates the pass was used to ride the Regional Rail system, which remained in operation during the strike, which began last Tuesday.

Weekly and monthly TrailPasses are ineligible for credits and exchanges - even if unused - because service was not interrupted, SEPTA spokeswoman Jerri Williams said.

Anyone trying to use a TransPass to ride Regional Rail was supposed to be told that getting the TransPass punched would rule out any refund, she said.

Those using employer or pre-tax programs to obtain passes should submit the pass by mail to: SEPTA SIP Refunds, Box 58609, Philadelphia 19102-8849. Be sure to enclose a note with contact information, including an address.

Anyone who thinks an exception should be made, or who has a complaint, may send a letter of explanation to the same address.

Refund requests could take six weeks to process.

The Stovetop giveaway, which will include feeding parking kiosks around City Hall, as well as product coupons, is part of a promotional campaign. For more details: www.spreadthewarmth.com

Contact staff writer Peter Mucha at 215-854-4342 or pmucha@phillynews.com.

 

Comments   
Posted 06:54 AM, 11/10/2009
phillytwo
Will the "potted plants" in the subway booths be trained to make the exchange?
Posted 08:18 AM, 11/10/2009
asdfasdfasdf
Wow, Septa is being really generous in agreeing to refund passes that its purchasers couldn't use.
Posted 08:26 AM, 11/10/2009
aNutterInDgutter
Hi phillytwo, "I am a Septa union member and as much as I hated to strike, I didn't have the cajonez to go against the thug leaders." LOL
Posted 09:27 AM, 11/10/2009
Fire Man
I wish it was free stove top not free tokens...
Posted 10:43 AM, 11/10/2009
glherbert
Maybe its me, but I really don't understand the logic of stipulating a punched transpass as ineligible for refund. I commute by reginal rail normally, during the strike, SEPTA's temporary train conductors punched my trailpass and other riders' transpasses to assure fare payment. Not once did I hear the warnning of the punched pass as a prohibit for refund. I did witness people questioning this action. Quick answers,none explaining its repercussions. I did witness cooperation by patrons, no questions asked in order to board the trains. Is it fair to penalize those unsuspecting riding public, unfamilar with SEPTA's processes and proceedures. Can SEPTA really guarantee that all conductors explained this procedure or better yet even have knowledge of it? I swear SEPTA leaves a lot to be desired for mass transit and customer service! OH yeah, I forgot the union is the bad guy here. I guess the union established this procedure too!!! Wake up people, there's always four sides to every situation...Theirs,Yours, mine and the actual!!!
Posted 01:18 PM, 11/10/2009
DarkStar
What about the Cross County passes? They cost $96 a month & I was screwed for nearly a week & had to pay gas money to those that were kind enough to give me a ride after purchasing my SEPTA pass... Are they going to do something for me? Or am I beat because I "could have" taken the train?
Posted 02:30 PM, 11/10/2009
kritter1217
The non-honoring of punched passes would be acceptable if the RRD accepted transpasses regardless of zone. Because that was NOT an option, and individuals still needed to purchase tickets for late or non-existent trains, (thank you r5) this is not fair- refund the week SEPTA. It is only fair.
Posted 06:04 PM, 11/10/2009
minonda
Thank you for sharing this useful information
Posted 08:37 PM, 11/11/2009
asdfjkl1234567890
Furthermore, TrailPasses are magnetically striped like TransPasses and can be used on SEPTA buses and trolleys. There should be some sort of compensation for those as well. Most of us rich suburban folk actually do have to slum it with the ghetto trash on the subway once in a while!
9 comments
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