SEPTA Gives Disappointed Papal Visit Lottery Riders Another Chance At First Choice Stations
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- SEPTA is giving riders another crack at getting special Papal visit passes for their 'first choice' rail stations. Officials say they had to recalculate the number of passes available for each station because it seems-- despite their best efforts-- riders found a way to make duplicate requests.
SEPTA scrubbed Papal pass requests for duplicates, but spokesperson Jeri Williams says there was something it didn't anticipate.
"People were so anxious to get the passes that they need, that multiple people in their group requested the same passes," Williams says.
Then, of course, only one person purchased them.
The upshot is there are more tickets available at stations SEPTA originally thought would be full. This allows riders who only got their second or third choice stations, the opportunity to buy or trade in a pass for their first choice station.
"We are just excited that we were able to extend this customer courtesy," Williams says. "And allow them to get exactly what they wanted, which was the purpose of the lottery in the first place."
Once it gets through this step, SEPTA will figure out how many tickets are left and announce how they can be purchased.
