After a successful launch with large and medium-sized employers, SEPTA is expanding its institutional pass program, called “SEPTA Key Advantage.” The authority is inviting all businesses in the region, including those with fewer than 50 employees, to participate in the program.

“We are excited to extend the benefits of SEPTA Key Advantage to all employers,” said SEPTA GM/CEO Leslie S. Richards. “This revolutionary initiative is already proving to increase ridership at partnering institutions and bolster an inclusive recovery for the region.”

SEPTA Key Advantage allows institutions to acquire SEPTA Key cards directly from the authority and distribute them to employees. Participants can use a new or existing SEPTA Key card for their pass. Just like the Monthly Anywhere TrailPass, SEPTA Key Advantage passes can be used on all SEPTA modes.

In January, a new Philadelphia law took effect requiring businesses with 50 or more employees to offer commuter benefits to their workers. Since then, several new companies have joined SEPTA Key Advantage, including FMC Corp., HealthVerity, ABC Senior Care, and Livent.

Meanwhile, all three pilot partners — Drexel University, University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS), and Wawa — continue to offer the program, and UPHS and Wawa are expanding their participation. UPHS is including employees at all of its locations in the area, and Wawa is expanding the offer from associates in Philadelphia to associates at all of its stores in the five-county region. With the expansion of the pilot partners and new companies joining SEPTA Key Advantage, the total number of eligible employees now exceeds 30,000.

As part of Mayor Jim Kenney’s proposed Fiscal Year 2024 Budget, the City of Philadelphia would participate in SEPTA Key Advantage by offering the passes to all City employees.