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Drinking alcohol, urinating, smoking or littering on SEPTA will get you a ticket

By and FOX 29 Staff
Published  June 20, 2024 12:32pm EDT
Philadelphia
FOX 29 Philadelphia

SEPTA to focus on quality-of-life tough enforcement on its system

SEPTA says it’s dumping its softer, friendly approach to littering and loitering in favor tickets with teeth.

PHILADELPHIA - SEPTA police are cracking down on "quality-of-life offenses" with a return to one of the department's enforcement programs next month.

The policy is aimed at "discouraging incidents, focusing on repeat offenders, and enhancing the customer experience."

Starting July 1, tickets will be issued for several violations, including alcohol consumption, public urination, smoking and littering.

Fines will range from $25-150, and chronic offenders will be banned from SEPTA property.

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"Code Violation Notices are legal instruments backed by the courts," said SEPTA Transit Police Chief Charles Lawson. "With this change, SEPTA is sending a clear message to would-be offenders: If you commit an offense on SEPTA property, you will be held accountable."

SEPTA says these low-level offenses are often the subject of customer complaints, and can lead to more serious crime.

The change comes as police increase visible patrols and deploy a virtual until in an effort to enhance safety and security for riders. It's also as SEPTA watched its post-pandemic ridership slowly improve to 71 percent of pre-COVID levels and anxiously awaits increased funding out of Harrisburg, partly dependent on a clean, safe ride.

"Those infractions have continued to climb post-pandemic to levels we haven't seen – really forever – in the system," Chief Lawson continued. "Something else is going on and we have to get our heads around this anti-social behavior on the system."