As the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) continues to build on its efforts to enhance safety and security on the system, the agency's transit police reported a 10% reduction in serious crimes compared to the same period last year. This decrease comes after transit police marked the largest one-year drop in serious crimes in its 43-year history.

According to the new quarterly data released, there were reductions in seven of the eight serious crime categories, including aggravated assaults and thefts.

"We are hearing directly from our riders that they feel safer at our stations and on board our vehicles," said SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer. "Our Customer Satisfaction Survey scores for safety and security have increased to their highest levels since 2023."

According to a SEPTA release, transit police are prioritizing fare evasion by issuing more than 6,300 citations so far this year – a 47% increase compared to last year. This effort has helped identify other illegal activity, resulting in over 700 arrests of wanted individuals.

"We are working to change the culture around paying a fare," said SEPTA Transit Police Chief Charles Lawson. "It is a challenge faced by transit systems across the country, and SEPTA is no exception, but we are taking real steps to address it."

Transit police are focusing enforcement at known fare evasion "hot spots". For example, a four-week blitz at Huntingdon Station on the Market-Frankford Line nearly eliminated fare evasion while officers were on site.

To stop fare evasion before it starts, SEPTA is upgrading its infrastructure. New full-height fare gates, tested successfully at 69th Street Transit Center, are being installed at nine additional Metro stations.

SEPTA also launched a Surface Transportation Unit dedicated to enforcing fare compliance on buses and trolleys, where fare gates do not control entry.