SEPTA pledged to refund riders who accidentally were charged extra Monday despite a court-ordered pause on the transit authority's fare increase.
A 20% fare increase that increased transit trips from $2.50 to $2.90 was set to take effect Monday alongside additional service cuts. But a Court of Common Please judge ruled Friday to temporarily halt any changes not already in place. Yet, some riders were charged the new price on certain buses.
MORE: After being closed to river for 85 years, Manayunk Canal is reopen and flowing with history
Those who paid extra will be reimbursed to their Key Card balances or contactless devices, SEPTA said.
Incorrect charges only were reported by riders on a small number of buses, as of Monday night, SEPTA said. Those who paid extra will have their Key Cards or contactless devices reimbursed.
Since the court order, SEPTA said it had been working to update applications that had been programmed to add the fare increase, but that it's likely those buses did not get the software updated needed to keep the previous rate in place.
Refunds also will be given people who purchased weekly or monthly passes at the higher rate before the court order was issued. Monthly passes went on sale Aug. 20, and weekly passes became available last Wednesday. Both were priced at the new rates.
To make up for a $213 million budget deficit, SEPTA eliminated 32 bus routes and reduced transit service by 20% on Aug. 24. Some routes used frequently by students later were restored with city funding. Those cuts are still in place, but the court order stopped the cuts to Regional Rail service that were to take effect Monday and Tuesday.
The court order, the result of a lawsuit, is in effect until Thursday, when the next hearing in the case is scheduled to take place.
For months, SEPTA has called on the state to provide additional funding to prevent the service reductions and help it become fiscally stable. Lawmakers have gone back and forth on potential solutions, without landing on one, and the issue has helped slow the passage of the Pennsylvania budget.
Without additional funds from the state, SEPTA officials have said more reductions come Jan. 1, including eliminating five Regional Rail lines, ending rail service at 9 p.m. and eliminating another 18 bus routes. In conjunction with the August cuts, service would be reduced 45% overall.
The lawsuit, which was filed Aug. 27, claims that the transit agency falsified claims about its financial stability and that its actions disproportionately affect low-income riders and people of color. It also claims that the transit agency hasn't been open about its board proceedings and didn't properly hold hearings ahead of the cuts.