Thinking Outside the Farebox
By Kelly Greene | 7/2/2026
SEPTA Looks to Generate New Revenue While Supporting Community Development
KELLY GREENE
Senior Press Officer
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
Philadelphia, PA
Southeastern Pennsylvania has grown and prospered around transit for generations—from suburban neighborhoods to Main Streets to Center City. As a legacy agency, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) inherited both transit assets and the settlement patterns that formed around train, trolley, and bus services.
SEPTA’s Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) Program encourages equitable and sustainable community development around its services, allowing more people to live and work near high-quality transit. Approximately 2 million people live on 10 percent of the region’s land that is within half a mile of SEPTA’s high-frequency transit and regional rail stations.
Through its TOC Program, SEPTA is partnering with municipalities and developers to advance mixed-use and multi-family development on SEPTA-owned property. The agency is actively leveraging its real estate assets to support both revenue generation and broader community development goals.
“SEPTA is committed to strict fiscal discipline and finding innovative ways to generate new revenue streams beyond the farebox,” said General Manager Scott A. Sauer. “Building housing and commercial space near our stations will boost ridership and bring economic activity to the communities that SEPTA serves.”
The agency has TOC projects underway in various stages of development at four regional rail stations: Ambler, Conshohocken, Germantown, and Langhorne. Recent progress includes the award of the Ambler Station joint development project. Under the agreement, the developer will pay SEPTA $402,500 per year with annual increases of 3 percent for a total contract value estimated to be $236 million over a term of 99 years.
The agency has coordinated with Ambler Borough since 2023 to ensure that the request for proposals aligns with the borough’s vision, which includes ground floor commercial space, high-
quality open space and stormwater management, commuter and development parking, and multi-family housing with an affordable component.
SEPTA is dedicated to transparent and community-driven implementation of its TOC Program. The agency is not just a participant, it is a champion and resource for fostering these communities across the region.