City Planning for SEPTA Service Cuts and Fare Increases
The current statewide budget impasse will require significant changes in region’s entire transportation network
PHILADELPHIA –
The City of Philadelphia today announced plans and preparations to address potential transportation issues that city residents, students, the workforce, sports fans and suburban commuters may face given imminent service cuts and fare increases at SEPTA – the state-created regional public transportation authority and one of the largest public transit systems in the country.
“We continue to be optimistic that there will be a resolution, and we stand behind Governor Josh Shapiro and his plan for a dedicated, recurring source of revenue for SEPTA,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “We have faith in Speaker Joanna McClinton, Appropriations Chairman Vincent Hughes, Appropriations Chairman Jordan Harris, House Majority Leader Matt Bradford and our Republican legislative leaders to find common ground and ‘get to yes’.”
“The City of Philadelphia took the most important action we could take when we passed a city budget and Five-Year Plan in June with $792 million in operating and capital funds for SEPTA,” Mayor Parker said.
“We have no intention of giving up. We’re working with the School District of Philadelphia, and it’s not just about the children. It’s the parents who need to get to work, the seniors, industries and other stakeholders. For Philadelphia, Montco, Delco, Bucks and Chester, this is about our economic survival, our quality of living, how we serve as the foundation of the economy for the entire Commonwealth,” Mayor Parker concluded.
As of today, the Pennsylvania General Assembly has not passed a statewide 2025-2026 budget, leading to a budget impasse. Without new state funding approved, SEPTA must operate using only currently available funds, which means implementing service cuts of 20 percent on Sunday, August 24 (and Monday, August 25) and a fare increase of 21.5 percent for all modes on September 1.
Per SEPTA’s website, the Phase 1 service cut implementation schedule is as follows:
- August 8: Service cut schedule was made available via SEPTA.org & SEPTA app.
- August 14: First week of service cuts became irreversible, each week must be planned 10-days in advance.
- August 24: Most of the Bus/Metro service cuts go into effect.
- August 25: Remaining Bus/Metro service cuts go into effect.
- September 1: Fare increase goes into effect.
- September 2: Regional Rail service cuts go into effect.
The Parker Administration is taking significant measures to support reliable travel as residents and other SEPTA users navigate and adapt to the proposed changes. The City is working with SEPTA and other stakeholders to ensure that travelers can access the most useful resources for planning their trips. The Department of Streets and Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS) will be actively monitoring rush hour traffic and are standing up resources now to level up arterial and intersection management.
“We all know the best way to keep the region moving and to keep the local and state economy going will be for SEPTA to be fully funded in the State budget,” said Mike Carroll, Deputy Managing Director, Transportation and Infrastructure. “Of course, there is no substitute for SEPTA, but in the meantime, we must adapt to new patterns of travel.”
The City has identified park-and-ride options for travelers from outlying communities. The Administration also encourages members of the public to talk with family, friends and co-workers to identify opportunities for carpooling as well as speaking with employers in order to understand what work options are available. For more information, the City will be maintaining a blog post with frequent updates.
This remains a dynamic situation, and we encourage all residents and community stakeholders to check for updates on SEPTA’s Service Cuts webpage and the City’s dedicated blog post here.