What SEPTA Fares Cost Now and How Regular Riders Can Pay Less
PHILADELPHIA — A bus or subway ride on SEPTA costs $2.90 when paid with a SEPTA Key card or a contactless bank card, a price that has held since the agency raised fares across the board on Sept. 1, 2025. That increase averaged 21.5 percent and lifted the base fare from $2.50 to $2.90, a level the agency said at the time tied New York’s transit system for the highest base fare in the country.
The same increase pushed the monthly TransPass from $96 to $116 and the weekly pass to $31, according to SEPTA’s published fare information. Riders who travel less often can buy a one-day convenience pass for $7.50 or a three-day pass for $19. Regional Rail fares, which vary by distance, run from $5 to $11 per trip when paid by contactless card, with SEPTA advising riders to tap on and tap off to avoid paying the maximum fare.
There is at least some near-term stability for riders. SEPTA’s board approved its fiscal year 2027 budget earlier this summer with no fare increases and no service cuts, according to the agency’s April announcement of the $2.7 billion plan. The budget relies on the second and final year of a $394 million PennDOT capital-to-operations transfer, and SEPTA officials have warned that the long-term picture remains uncertain without a lasting state funding solution.
For commuters, the math comes down to how often they ride. A rider traveling five days a week pays for two $2.90 rides each day, or $29 a week, which works out to roughly $116 to $126 over a full month depending on the number of workdays. A $116 monthly TransPass covers that full month of commuting and breaks even at about 40 paid rides.
Anyone who rides at least 20 days a month, or who makes extra weekend trips, comes out ahead with the monthly pass. A rider commuting three days a week spends about $17.40 weekly, or roughly $70 to $75 a month, and would be better off paying per ride than buying a $116 pass.
Travel Wallet funds loaded onto a Key card are the cheapest way to pay per ride, since paying with a Key card or contactless card is less expensive than some other payment methods. SEPTA says riders can use the same card for up to five people traveling together, and the agency recommends checking current transfer rules on septa.org, since transfer policies change with fare policy.
The September 2025 increase and service reductions were set in motion by the fiscal 2026 budget, which addressed a $213 million recurring deficit after Harrisburg did not act on new transit funding. Philadelphia’s own city budget continues to fund a zero-fare program for low-income residents and the SEPTA Key Advantage discount partnership, according to reporting on the fiscal 2027 budget.
