Commuters using Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) services have a reason to breeze a bit easier on their transits, with a new multi-rider feature that began rolling out on Monday for buses, trolleys, and trains. According to 6ABC, passengers who possess a SEPTA Key card can now quickly tap in up to five riders for the same trip, helping to streamline group journeys and potentially to ease fare payments.

The capability to enable multiple riders does indeed come with a catch. SEPTA Key owners must have the Travel Wallet 'auto load' feature turned on and maintain a balance of at least $10. As reported by WHYY, for utilization of this feature, the card's balance must exceed the total fare for the entire group. SEPTA cautions solo riders to avoid accidentally to double tap when the multi-rider function is active, as all taps should happen within a minute of the first entry, a crucial detail for those commuting alone.

The introduction of this feature has observantly been made amidst fluctuating ridership numbers. SEPTA noted that although more than 644,000 people are still riding the system on average, this figure clocks in at only 65% of the average ridership seen in January 2019. However, a silver lining may be on the horizon; the ridership in the last month experienced an 11% increase over January 2023, signalling a gradual, albeit modest recovery.

For the convenience of riders, the rules for using the multi-rider feature are akin to those for a solo ride: they include up to two free transfers on several lines within a set time limit on the Regional Rail. However, on Regional Rail, one cannot change the number of riders in a group once the trip has commenced — conductors are required to open a multi-rider trip for the entirety of the group. For those opting out, the feature can be turned off by contacting the SEPTA Key Call Center, with deactivation processed at 2 am the following day, as detailed by SEPTA's bulletin.

SEPTA's initiative to add flexibility to its fare collection through the multi-rider feature aims to not only ease the riding experience for groups but also, perhaps, to entice more passengers back onto its network as the system strives to regain its footing in the post-pandemic landscape.