SEPTA suspended its on-line sales of transit passes for the papal visit on September 26 and 27 because of problems with its website.
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SEPTA said it had prepared for a high volume for its online sales, which were to begin at 9 a.m. Monday, but “the traffic to the e-commerce site launched for pass sales was significantly higher than anticipated”.
The website handling the pre-sales of SEPTA’s one-day, regional rail tickets has been shut down for the day as many users reported problems with purchasing their tickets.
The transit agency said it was working to resolve the technical problems.
“(Tuesday) morning we will provide advanced notice to our riders, the public and the media regarding when pass sales will resume”, the Southeastern Pennsylvania transit agency said in a release.
PATCO’s preloaded passes for the papal visit also went on sale Monday morning.
No. The only passes accepted on September 26 and 27 will be the ones sold online. All other SEPTA stations will be closed. SEPTA will operate to/from Jefferson, 30th Street and University City Stations during the two-day Papal Visit.
As of 11 a.m. Monday, the website was still down.
SEPTA plans to sell 175,000 passes for each day of Pope Francis’ visit.
Passes will be mailed to purchasers, with a $1.95 shipping fee per purchase.
Passes must be purchased for a specific station and departure period. To help alleviate congestion and enhance safety, SEPTA will have two travel slots, the first from 5:30 a.m.-8:30 a.m., the second 8:30 a.m.-noon at each station except Cornwells Heights and Croydon.
On subways, trolleys, and buses, customers can also use tokens, and regular weekly and monthly passes. The short version: If you’re riding Regional Rail, have someone drop you off and pick you back up at the station where you will be boarding, for the parking lots will fill quickly. The cost is $5 for a one-day pass and $10 for a two-day pass for those 5 years of age and older. Passengers who do not have them will not be permitted on the trains on September 26 and 27.
PATCO will provide non-stop service westbound to Center City Philadelphia only between its Lindenwold, Woodcrest, Ferry Avenue and Broadway stations, and will only stop at 9th/10th and Locust streets in Philadelphia.
As of 3 p.m., PATCO had sold 918 tickets, a combination of walk-up purchases at select stations and online sales, according to Kyle Anderson, director of communications.
Each customer will be able to purchase up to 10 passes.
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Current holders of PATCO Freedom cards can use their existing Freedom cards, at $2.50 per one-way trip.
