SEPTA and Uber Announce Summer Pilot Program

SEPTA has announced a partnership with ride-sharing service Uber that is aimed at increasing access to the transit system throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania. The partnership will run as summer pilot program, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day.

Under the partnership, Uber rides will be discounted by 40 percent to-and-from 11 suburban Regional Rail stations in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery Counties, with a maximum discount of $10 per ride. The stations selected for inclusion in this pilot program are among SEPTA’s busiest, with high ridership and limited availability of parking spaces. Several are key points for Airport travel, and others are at locations where parking is temporarily restricted due to construction.

SEPTA General Manager Jeffrey D. Knueppel said the Authority also wants to explore the potential for ride-sharing to bridge the “first and last mile” gap, or the distance between someone’s home and a rail station.

“SEPTA’s partnership with Uber creates exciting new options in our ongoing efforts to provide residents with an efficient and comprehensive transportation network,” Knueppel said. “We expect this to be a valuable service for our existing customers, and also hopefully a tool to bring new riders into the SEPTA system.”

Stations in the suburbs selected for the pilot program include: Glenside, Jenkintown-Wyncote, Elkins Park, Melrose Park, Warminster, Doylestown, Lansdale, Woodbourne, Swarthmore, Wayne and Exton.

“Uber coupled with SEPTA’s rail network becomes a powerful tool for Pennsylvanians to quickly and efficiently travel around the region, reducing reliance on automobiles, carbon emissions and more,” said Jon Feldman, general manager for Uber Pennsylvania. “Our technology platform has made it easier to move away from personal car ownership and embrace mass transit systems like SEPTA, invigorating transit throughout the region.”

The pilot program is part of an ongoing study SEPTA is conducting on how the growing popularity of ride-sharing services could impact services. A recent study by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) found that ride-sharing complements public transportation, with more than 20 percent of riders already using it to connect to services.