Another policy born out of the pandemic is ending as SEPTA announced it will once again be charging fees to park at its stations and garages, writes Victor Fiorillo for Philadelphia Magazine.

SEPTA once charged parking fees. Pre-pandemic, SEPTA took in $4.7 million in parking revenue for 2019.

When the pandemic hit in March 2020, everyone stayed home and SEPTA ridership dropped way off. SEPTA opted to let people park at its lots and garages for free.

Now people are back using public transportation, and with SEPTA suffering financially, it’s charging for parking again.

Unfortunately for riders, SEPTA had just been approved for a parking rate increase when COVID hit, so those new rates will apply now. 

The old parking fee was $1 to park all day in a surface lot and $2 all day for SEPTA’s garages.  The new fees will likely be $2 for surface lots and $4 for garages.

The payment method at SEPTA’s lots usually involved putting quarters through a slot in a metal box. The agency is looking for more modern technological options going forward.

“We realize the public has moved on in terms of payment methods,” said SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch.

Read more about SEPTA’s decision to bring back parking fees in Philadelphia Magazine.