The SEPTA recently announced significant changes to its service operations in response to mounting financial challenges.
The April 10 announcement noted that, beginning in July, SEPTA will cut service by 45% and implement a 21.5% fare increase. The proposed adjustments are part of SEPTA’s $2.6 billion operating budget for the fiscal year 2026 and are expected to have a major impact on Philadelphia’s public transit riders.
“Like mass transit agencies across the country, SEPTA is facing a structural budget deficit due to a combination of the ending of federal COVID relief funds and increases in the day-to-day costs of providing service to our customers,” SEPTA Interim General Manager Scott Sauer said on the shift.
According to SEPTA officials, the agency’s financial difficulties are rooted in a combination of long-standing issues, including underfunding, deferred maintenance, and increasing operating costs driven by inflation. In addition, ridership levels have remained below pre-pandemic numbers, exacerbating the agency’s revenue gap.
32 bus routes across the city are slated for complete elimination, while several other routes will be either shortened or see reduced frequency. The cuts and fare hikes will roll out in stages, with service reductions beginning in August and fare increases taking effect in September. In November, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro secured $153 million in state funding for SEPTA in an effort to mitigate fare increases and maintain essential services.
Although overall ridership has declined since the pandemic, public transportation remains relevant for many Pennsylvanians, particularly those who rely on it as their primary means of commuting to work, attending school, or accessing healthcare.
“The economic activity of the Southeast region powers Pennsylvania like no other, and none of that is possible without SEPTA getting people to work, to school, to medical appointments and to other destinations,” Sauer added. “If we’re forced to start dismantling the system in the coming fiscal year, SEPTA will shift from driving the region’s economy to holding it back.”
Despite the upcoming service reductions, SEPTA continues to move forward with improvement projects aimed at modernizing its infrastructure, including the renovation of a key transit route that runs through Penn’s campus, prompting temporary road closures and construction activity in the area.
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