Nothing fare about it

The SEPTA strike is over. The same cannot be said for the fallout.

You can pretty much guess what is coming next. Yep, fares are going up.

But the transit giant wants everyone to know that the two are not necessarily connected.

SEPTA officials say the fare hike was already in the works long before Transport Workers Union Local 234 hit the bricks, shutting down buses, trolleys and subways in the city for almost a week.

Instead, the transit folks say the looming fare hike is the result of a state commission a few years back that actually recommended that they have routine, periodic fare hikes, rather than trying to hold out and then having to put a steep hike on the backs of riders.

No doubt that will come as less than soothing news to riders, fresh off a week when they were left stranded, and got hassled in terms of getting value for the transpasses they bought, and which did them no good for most of last week.

To their credit, SEPTA is vowing to make good on the transpasses.

In the meantime, it soon will cost more to get on the bus.

There’s no such thing as a free ride.

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