Crime on SEPTA Declines as Safety Strategy Shows Results

Crime along the SEPTA falls consistently as the transit system enhances its policing, infrastructure, and passenger confidence with data-driven safety and law enforcement initiatives.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

Crime on SEPTA Reflects Effective Policing and Rider Confidence

Crime along SEPTA has decreased by 10% in the same period last year. The current quarterly report verifies the consistent progress after the agency realized the greatest single-year crime decrease in its history spanning 43 years.

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General Manager Scott A. Sauer reported the modifications are being perceived by riders. “We are receiving directly from our riders that they are safer at our stops and aboard our vehicles,” he described. “Our Customer Satisfaction Survey scores for safety and security are at their highest levels since 2023.”

Transit police have handed out more than 6,300 fare-evasion citations in the year so far — a 47% increase from 2024 — and cuffed more than 700 sought individuals. Those outcomes illustrate how increased enforcement does more than cut fare evasion but also deters crime elsewhere in the system.

Crime on SEPTA Decline Driven by Fare Gates and Field Patrols

Chief Charles Lawson underscored the fact that fare compliance is a system-wide issue all across the United States but SEPTA does tackle it. “We are trying to change the culture of paying a fare,” he explained. “This is something that happens nationwide, and SEPTA does it like everybody else, but we are making some real efforts in dealing with it.”

Special enforcement efforts have demonstrated quantifiable effectiveness. A four-week effort at Huntingdon Station along the Market–Frankford Line almost completely eradicated fare evasion while police were standing the post. In order to prevent the issue from occurring in the first place, the SEPTA is implementing full-height fare gates at nine subway stations following successful pilots at the 69th Street Transportation Center.

To have broader coverage, the new Surface Transportation Unit puts in place compliance among trolleys and buses. The unit ensures equal supervision and upholds confidence along the whole transit system. The agency aims at continuing spending on technology, analytics, and community outreach in order to have lasting improvements in security.

Source: www.metro-magazine.com

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