SEPTA Halts Papal Pass Sales

SEPTA will not resume sales of One Day Regional Rail passes for the Papal Visit this week. The agency has been working with IT consultants over the last two days, and are still considering the best option to address the high interest among customers interested in purchasing the pass, and the heavy volume on the e-commerce site.

An analysis of the activity yesterday shows that 54,000 customers visited the e-commerce site within the first minute after the site was launched. SEPTA will continue to evaluate the best option to move forward with the sale of the Papal Passes. The agency may continue to work with the IT consultants to improve the e-commerce site; and are also considering working with an outside vendor to sell the passes for SEPTA.

July 20 activity showed SEPTA that the available passes – 175,000 each for Sept. 26, and Sunday, Sept. 27 – will be sold quickly once sales re-launch. The most important consideration for SEPTA is to manage the volume of users coming to the site, and to make sure that the passes are purchased by those who want to come to see the pope, or need to travel for work and other regular commuting needs.