To adapt to a ridership drastically changed by the pandemic, SEPTA wants to be more commuter-friendly. Toward that goal, it plans to lower its Montgomery County Regional Rail fares and make travel across different modes of transportation — buses, subways, rail, trolleys — more convenient. Thomas Fitzgerald navigated the details for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

This move is part of SEPTA’s overall strategic goal to meld its sprawling transit system into a significantly more unified network.

According to SEPTA General Manager and CEO Leslie S. Richards, “nothing is off limits” when it comes to achieving this goal. Fares, schedules, and connections are all being reexamined as part of the system’s new normal.

Several out-of-kilter policies are being examined.

For example, the one-way cash fare for using Regional Rail within the city is $6. That is more than double the $2.50 fare for a bus, trolley, or subway ride across the same distance. It’s even higher than SEPTA Key Card travel wallet fare of $4.

And the wait for a Regional Rail train can cost commuters an hour at certain times during the day.

SEPTA assures riders that their input is critical to the revisions it is considering. It launched an online survey to gather opinions.

Read more about SEPTA’s post-pandemic plans, including those for regional rail fares, in The Philadelphia Inquirer.