Penn has negotiated an agreement with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to provide two types of commuter passes:
- TransPasses, for travel within the City of Philadelphia, and
- TrailPasses, for regional rail.
Full-time, benefits-eligible faculty and staff may purchase monthly passes, which are available as a direct-load product on a SEPTA Key Card at a 10% discount through payroll deduction. The five-percent discount provided by SEPTA is matched by Penn's five-percent subsidy. Ten-trip tickets are also available for purchase at a 5% Penn discount. Up to $315 of your monthly payroll deduction can be paid for through pre-tax deductions.
Converting to the SEPTA Key reloadable transit fare card requires a three-step process:
- Buy a SEPTA Key Card at any of these locations; septa.org/key/resources/sales.html. There is also a SEPTA Key Card Kiosk at the Penn Bookstore, 3601 Walnut Street, ground floor.
- Register / activate your SEPTA Key Card at www.septakey.org.
- Log in to your WageWorks account to transition your pass to SEPTA Key.
Please know that the SEPTA Key and Commuter Pass Programs are managed by SEPTA and WageWorks, respectively. The following tips may be helpful as you navigate their processes:
- There are some charges associated with getting a SEPTA Key card. There is a card registration fee of $4.95. Also, to activate your new card, you will need to add funds to your card in the minimum amounts of either $1, if activating at a Fare Kiosk, or $5, if activating in person at any SEPTA Sales Office. The total amount will be credited to your SEPTA Travel Wallet. SEPTA has advised us that funds in the wallet can then be used to purchase a weekly pass or pay as you go for the days you will be commuting that month.
- It is critical that you write down the Card Reference ID number. This number is not on the face of your physical SEPTA Key Card. Instead, it is found on the “My Account” page on the SEPTA Key website. You need to enter this number during the WageWorks’ online process that is necessary to complete your commuter order. (see next step). Note: although you should write the number down, the safest and most accurate way to capture the number is to use your computer’s copy/paste functions to paste the number directly into your WageWorks account to ensure the integrity of the number.
- You must log in to your WageWorks account in order to complete your commuter transit order to a SEPTA Key card. WageWorks will load your monthly transit fare product onto the key card. Reminder – commuter orders for the next monthly cycle must be filed by the 10th of the month prior to the intended use.
If you have questions about the outlined SEPTA Key Card registration process, please contact SEPTA at 1-855-56-SEPTA (1-855-567-3782) for matters relating to the use or balance of your SEPTA Key Card. If you have questions regarding your commuter order, please contact Health Equity/WageWorks at 1-877-924-3967 and follow the prompts.