Bryn Mawr students can ride SEPTA for free this fall with UPass

Bryn Mawr College students can ride SEPTA for free this fall.

The college is the latest institution to join SEPTA’s Key Advantage UPass program, which launched last year and offers deep discounts to institutions that purchase the program for their students.

“Because our college believes in access and equity, we are thrilled to partner with SEPTA to provide our students with equal opportunities to connect with the city, learn, grow and enhance their academic and extracurricular goals,” Karlene Burrell-McRae, dean of the undergraduate college at Bryn Mawr College, said in a statement.

More than 1,500 full-time students at the college can use the program during their academic year from September to December and then from February to May. They are limited to a maximum of 240 rides per month.

A monthly All-Access SEPTA Key card normally costs $204, and UPass passes are offered to partners through 80% discount, according to the transport company.

From Swarthmore to Bryn Mawr College

UPass was introduced last year with Swarthmore College and is valid for colleges and universities.

In an interview with The Inquirer last year, Jennifer Scimone, SEPTA’s manager of business development in the finance department,, said it hopes 15 colleges and universities will join the UPass program in its first year. So far, Bryn Mawr College is the second college to sign up for the program. Since partnering with Swarthmore last year, the agency says students typically use the pass on weekends and about 89% of students have used it at least once.

“This program has made it easier and more affordable for students to travel to destinations across the region,” said Leslie Richards, CEO and general manager of SEPTA, in a statement Tuesday.

UPass is an extension of SEPTA’s original Key Advantage program, which launched in 2022 and offers businesses the opportunity to purchase discounted passes for their employees, which they can then use for free. The city of Philadelphia is one of the largest partners in the program, which has a total of 55 partners and 95,000 participants, according to the transit agency.

The program was seen as a way to help the agency rebuild ridership, which had plummeted during the pandemic. SEPTA relies on the fares riders pay to keep the transit system running and estimates it faces a $240 million operating deficit this fiscal year that began July 1. This month, SEPTA’s systemwide ridership was at 73% of pre-pandemic levels, compared to the same month in 2019.