Title
Calling on universities in the City of Philadelphia to adopt the SEPTA Key Advantage UPass Program for all of their students.
Body
WHEREAS, With roughly 120,000 college and university students enrolled within city limits, the City of Philadelphia is one of the largest college towns in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The Philadelphia region is home to approximately 115 post-secondary schools educating nearly 300,000 students, a higher per capita student population than even Greater Boston; and
WHEREAS, In August 2023, SEPTA began offering UPass as part of its Key Advantage program, allowing colleges and universities to provide a monthly All-Access Anywhere Pass to participating college students. This program allows for full time college students actively enrolled in partner institutions to ride SEPTA at no cost to them throughout the academic year; and
WHEREAS, In August 2023, Swarthmore College became the first higher education institute to be enrolled in this program to enhance the living and learning experiences of their students; and
WHEREAS, Data from SEPTA shows the resounding success of the program: 89 percent of Swarthmore students have used the pass at least once, with most usage occurring on weekends for recreational purposes despite service slowing down, and not just to go to class or work; and
WHEREAS, These numbers aren't surprising as SEPTA Key Advantage has been very effective at boosting ridership on a transit system that needs it, with 95,000 participants across 55 partner organizations, including the City of Philadelphia itself. Expanding the number of employer and university enrollments into SEPTA Key Advantage and UPass is a proven way of growing SEPTA ridership; and
WHEREAS, According to agency data, riders who have been offered SEPTA Key Advantage passes take SEPTA an average of 13 percent more than they did before enrolling; and
WHEREAS, A year after Swarthmore adopted the program, Bryn Mawr College became the second higher e...
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