SEPTA and the Philadelphia Department of Public Health are teaming up to tackle secondhand smoke with an “educational blitz” at train and trolley stations from Sept. 17 to 26.
While passengers are no strangers to anti-smoking signs throughout the transit system, this month’s campaign is not aimed at smokers. Instead, advocates from SEPTA and the city will be distributing resources to everyone on ways to quit smoking.
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At various stations along the Market Frankford and Broad Street lines, these advocates will be handing out information flyers and providing resources related to smoking cessation. They will also be giving out nicotine reduction tool kits (NRTs) and coupons for the SEPTA Store online and at the transit authority’s headquarters on Market St.
Representatives from SEPTA and the Department of Public Health will be present at the following stations at the specified times:
• Tuesday, Sept. 17: City Hall, 8-10 a.m.; Snyder (BSL), 4-6 p.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 18: City Hall, 4-6 p.m.
• Thursday, Sept. 19: 8th St. (MFL), 8-10 a.m.
• Tuesday, Sept. 24: Drexel Station at 30th St., 4-6 p.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 25: Spring Garden (BSL), 8-10 a.m.
• Thursday, Sept. 26: 13th St. (MFL and Trolley), 4-6 p.m.
SEPTA states that the “educational blitz” is part of their ongoing efforts to enhance the customer experience. Last summer, SEPTA and the Department of Public Health launched a “Respect the Ride” campaign that discouraged smoking in subway train cars with the installation of signs at SEPTA stations.
In July, SEPTA ramped up enforcement against low-level quality-of-life offenses such as smoking, with fines increasing to a range of $25 to $150. Although serious crimes on the transit system have decreased, low-level offenses remain a concern.
SEPTA Police Chief Charles Lawson stated in July, “For some reason, people’s behavior changed during the pandemic. People who used to self-regulate activities like smoking and open containers of alcohol stopped doing so. It’s our responsibility to enforce the rules and encourage self-regulation.”