SEPTA loses out on fare tech cash

SEPTA said yesterday it still hopes to award a contract for its new fare technology early next year despite having almost no funding in place and being turned down for $30 million in federal grants.

The agency’s application for TIGER II grants were not among the 75 selected by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which received more than 1,000 applications. SEPTA has had to delay the $100 million-plus initiative several times due to lack of funding and has asked bidders to propose creative financing options.

“The next step is to see what’s going to happen in Harrisburg,” said SEPTA spokesman Richard Maloney. “Obviously, we have a new Legislature coming in and a lot of new people. We’re waiting to talk to the new people about what our needs are.”