SEPTA Key
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| Location | Philadelphia Area |
|---|---|
| Launched | 2016-2017 |
| Manager | SEPTA |
| Currency | USD ($250 maximum load) |
| Validity |
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| Website | SEPTA Key |
The SEPTA Key card is a smart card that is used for automated fare collection on the SEPTA public transportation network in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. It can be used throughout SEPTA's transit system (bus, trolley, subway), but mostly cannot yet be used on SEPTA Regional Rail.
Prior to the Key System, SEPTA's fare collection was almost entirely manual. Monthly and Weekly passes were sold by a cashier at a SEPTA sales office. Tokens for bus, trolley and subway fare could be purchased from a vending machine at some stations, however exact change was required. In 2012 SEPTA announced the project. In 2014 SEPTA began deploying the new hardware necessary for the system at each station.
The initial rollout of the key card began with an early adoption program which started on on June 13, 2016. Sale of Key Cards was opened to the public on February 9, 2017.. As of June 1, 2017, weekly and monthly TransPasses (for urban transit, distinct from the TrailPasses for SEPTA Regional Rail) were no longer available in the old format, and users of those passes had to have a Key Card.
Similar to a debit card issued by a bank, each Key card has a personalized 16 digit account number. A Mastercard Paypass chip is embedded in the card allowing it to be read wirelessly. Riders simply wave their card near a red fare validator pad. On buses, trolley routes, and the Norristown High Speed Line; the validator is mounted to the vehicle farebox. On the Broad Street Line and the Market-Frankford Line, the validators are located on the turnstiles that access the boarding area.
The system also has a "Quick Trip" feature allowing a single fare for the Broad Street Line or the Market-Frankford Line to be purchased from a Key vending machine. Instead of a plastic card with an embedded chip, the system prints a paper ticket with a magnetic stripe. A rider with a quick trip ticket will swipe it at a black card reader mounted next to the red pad to access the boarding area. Quick Trips can also be used on Regional Rail's Airport Line on trips originating from the Philadelphia International Airport; they can be purchased from machines located on the platforms.
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