Reversing Transit Ridership Declines With Institutional Pass Programs

As transit agencies grapple with significant ridership losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, many are looking to bring back riders by selling fare passes in bulk to employers, schools, and other large institutions.

In Philadelphia, SEPTA recently piloted a partnership with PennMedicine and Wawa called “Key Advantage.” In Boston, the MBTA now offers “Perq.” Denver RTD has “EcoPass.” Smaller agencies have also started to offer employer-based passes.

No two programs are exactly alike, but they all operate according to the same general principle – tapping into a large pool of potential riders by making transit passes available to them at steep discounts.