Free student SEPTA passes year-round would cost about $64 million, the superintendent says
Council heard the case on Oct. 6. A week later, the city released early findings on Zero Fare, and 14 members signed a resolution praising it. Here is where transit affordability stands.
Students and community leaders want Philadelphia's student SEPTA pass to work every day of the year, around the clock, for every student. Council is still weighing it, and the price tag is now on the record, WHYY reported.
This is a follow-up to our story on the Transit Access Fund, which would pay for the city's low-income fare programs. Since then, two more pieces of the transit affordability picture have come into focus.
The student pass
Under rules in place since 2001, student passes from the School District work only on school days, WHYY reported. Students get up to eight rides a day between 5:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. Only students who live more than 1.5 miles from school qualify. At-large Councilmember Rue Landau said that rule leaves out more than 30,000 young people.
"SEPTA is their key to the city," Landau said, "and due to restrictions on student passes, we are holding that key at arm's length."
Superintendent Tony Watlington cited a preliminary estimate of $64 million to cover the full calendar year and start eligibility at fifth grade instead of seventh. He said the district would be "eager to be a partner" with a consistent funding source. The district pays SEPTA up front and is reimbursed only for tapped rides, WHYY reported.
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4th District Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. said he supports the goal but wants a way to pause or revoke passes for misconduct: "for those who are doing the wrong thing, we need to have some checks and balances involved."
What our records add
- The hearing resolution. Landau's Resolution 260441 was adopted April 30. Its co-sponsors were Anthony Phillips, Jones, Jamie Gauthier, Jeffery Young Jr., Katherine Gilmore Richardson, Kendra Brooks, Mark Squilla and Nicolas O'Rourke.
- The wait. The hearing came Oct. 6 before the Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities, 159 days after the resolution passed.
- No bill yet. A hearing resolution sets up testimony. It does not change the program. Our records show no bill to expand student passes.
The Zero Fare findings
On Oct. 22, Council adopted O'Rourke's Resolution 260901, which recognizes early findings on Zero Fare, the program that gives free SEPTA rides to some low-income residents. It lists 14 sponsors. The three members not listed are Cindy Bass, Brian O'Neill and Isaiah Thomas.
The findings come from the Georgetown University Better Government Lab, which the city says is running a randomized trial. According to an Oct. 13 city release:
- the program substantially increased SEPTA use among participants, across every racial and ethnic group, age group and employment status studied;
- participants' trust in city government rose;
- more than 37,000 people have used a Zero Fare card since August 2023, and about 24,200 were active from June to August 2026;
- participants took about 2.4 million trips that quarter and about 19.6 million since launch.
The release also says the program is not enrolling new participants. More people qualify than current funding can serve.
What's next
O'Rourke's Transit Access Fund bill still needs a committee referral and hearing. The student pass has no bill. Watch the Transportation and Public Utilities Committee page for hearings.