Extra Septa Regional Rail Tickets (maybe expired), can't use?
July 6, 2020 6:38 AM Subscribe
1) How does Septa know that tickets expire?
2) If these tickets are usable, what forum or organization would take them? I'll mail.
I bought 2 one way regional rail, zone 3, weekend, tickets to/from Center City in December 2019. They cost $5.25 each. I never used them. They say they have an 180 day expiration policy, but they have no date stamped on them.
I bought 2 one way regional rail, zone 3, weekend, tickets to/from Center City in December 2019. They cost $5.25 each. I never used them. They say they have an 180 day expiration policy, but they have no date stamped on them.
Best answer: The 180-day policy only applies to getting a refund. I've been taking the Regional Rail for 10 years and have never had a conductor check the dates on my tickets. Some of them—like yours—aren't even stamped with the date.
The only time that a ticket truly "expires" is when there's a fare change, and SEPTA changes the color / design of the ticket. Last time that happened, after a few months, they issued a warning that they were no longer going to accept the older tickets.
With paper tickets getting phased out altogether in favor of SEPTA Key, it is very unlikely that SEPTA will change their ticket design again. As long as you use your tickets before they stop accepting paper tickets on the Regional Rail (and there's no timetable for that, as far as I know) you should be good to go.
posted by vitout at 7:07 AM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
The only time that a ticket truly "expires" is when there's a fare change, and SEPTA changes the color / design of the ticket. Last time that happened, after a few months, they issued a warning that they were no longer going to accept the older tickets.
With paper tickets getting phased out altogether in favor of SEPTA Key, it is very unlikely that SEPTA will change their ticket design again. As long as you use your tickets before they stop accepting paper tickets on the Regional Rail (and there's no timetable for that, as far as I know) you should be good to go.
posted by vitout at 7:07 AM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks! I would like to send them to somebody who'll use them (I'll likely not use them within the next year).
Any thoughts? A mutual aid site?
posted by sandmanwv at 7:57 AM on July 6, 2020
Any thoughts? A mutual aid site?
posted by sandmanwv at 7:57 AM on July 6, 2020
A medical clinic? I had a hell of a time getting Social work to dispense cab vouchers or tokens to patients who were unable to afford public transportation. Those budgets are very slim. It would be a windfall to have rail tickets to dispense to clients without having to justify every situation.
Penn and Jefferson both have significant patient populations that travel to appointments by train and might be good choices. I'd just cold-call the social work department and explain what you have.
Gift of Life, the organ transplant organization is another worthy possibility. Transplant patients make many routine trips to their doctors, and insurance does not cover the expense. Budgets in families with chronic illness typically are extremely tight. They also have superb social work staffs.
posted by citygirl at 8:16 AM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Penn and Jefferson both have significant patient populations that travel to appointments by train and might be good choices. I'd just cold-call the social work department and explain what you have.
Gift of Life, the organ transplant organization is another worthy possibility. Transplant patients make many routine trips to their doctors, and insurance does not cover the expense. Budgets in families with chronic illness typically are extremely tight. They also have superb social work staffs.
posted by citygirl at 8:16 AM on July 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
I would just mail the tickets back to SEPTA's refunds department. They aren't date-stamped, so they should honor the refund request. Then make a $10 donation to the charity of your choice.
They're evening-and-weekend tickets, so they'd only be of value to people that commute off-hours on the Regional Rail, and I doubt there are very many of them right now.
posted by vitout at 11:23 AM on July 6, 2020
They're evening-and-weekend tickets, so they'd only be of value to people that commute off-hours on the Regional Rail, and I doubt there are very many of them right now.
posted by vitout at 11:23 AM on July 6, 2020
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posted by cooker girl at 7:06 AM on July 6, 2020