After 4 years, SEPTA to reinstate phased-in parking fees on Monday

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) - After four years of offering free parking, SEPTA will reinstate parking fees starting Monday, September 23.

The fees will be reintroduced in phases starting, officials say. The reinstatement schedule is posted at SEPTA.org .

Parking fees were suspended in 2020 to attract customers back to the transit system when the pandemic hit, according to SEPTA.

"We wanted to keep it free as we built up ridership post-pandemic," noted SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch.

The reinstated parking fees are:

- Surface Lots (96 SEPTA-owned locations): $2 per day, which is up from the previous cost of $1 per day.

- Garages (3 locations: Frankford Transportation Center, Norristown Transportation Center, and Lansdale Station): $4 per day, which is up from the previous cost of $2 per day.

Parking at surface lots will remain free on weekends and major holidays.

Busch told Action News that the new fees are expected to bring in an additional $6 million in revenue.

The extra cash will go to maintenance as well as help address the transit agency's $240 million budget shortfall.

"It helps with our bottom line. We're offsetting the cost and then adding a little to our bottom line," said Busch.

Jordan Toy is one of several customers who will begin paying to park again on Monday. He tells Action News that he often parks at Fern Rock Transportation Center to get to work and into Center City on weekends.

He said free parking has made his commute easier over the last few years.

"It's been very helpful to have to not pay for parking," said Toy. "That's just also an additional thing that I don't have to do in the morning at 6 a.m. whenever I'm catching the train."

He said he's not concerned about the fee increase, but he does have issues with the new app SEPTA is offering as a method of payment.

"The primary issue I'm having is they created a whole new app for parking that now everybody has to download - something else in addition to the three other apps that SEPTA has," Toy explained.

SEPTA said it awarded a $12.3 million contract to Flowbird America to develop a "new, state-of-the-art parking system that will streamline fee collection and improve customer convenience."

Riders will be able to pay for parking fees by using the SEPTA Park app, kiosks, or via text message.

Mesfin Fassail said while he's enjoyed the free perk, paid parking has been long overdue.

Plus, he said paying $2 is far better than the prices he would have to pay to park in Center City.

"It is a gift for people the last few years," he said. "Go downtown, it's $15, $17, $18 for parking. This one is a fair price."

SEPTA said it will have 'ambassadors' on-site to answer questions.

Parking Enforcement Officers will read license plates using vehicle-mounted cameras, SEPTA said, and violations or warnings will be issued for illegally parked vehicles.