An All-Agency Transit/Parking Card?
Rina Cutler, Mayor Nutter's new deputy mayor for transportation, has an interesting notion. She'd like to see one card that can be used instead of cash with the city's three principal transit/transportation agencies: SEPTA, PATCO and the Philadelphia Parking Authority. It wouldn't be an easy feat. After all, SEPTA doesn't even have an electronic fare card yet (monthly passes aren't the same thing at all), and getting three individual systems to talk to each other would be a real technical challenge. PPA's card is used at meters, while PATCO's is good for rides on the system's trains, parking fares at its lots and even station vending machines.
Cutler is well aware of the hurdles: "It's going to be an interesting discussion to say the least."
It's certainly possible that a citywide card won't work. Still, it's a compelling idea, and it highlights the value of having a senior city official thinking about transit and transportation across agency lines.