SEPTA to move forward with service cuts across Philadelphia region with no funding fix in place

By Joe Brandt, Alicia Roberts, Nikki DeMentri, Laura Fay, Brandon Goldner, Dan Snyder

Click here for updates on this story

    PHILADELPHIA (KYW) — With no SEPTA funding deal reached, deep service cuts to bus, train and trolley services in the Philadelphia region appear to be on the way. SEPTA’s deadline day to receive state funding has come and gone, and the Pennsylvania General Assembly has not provided funding to fill the transit authority’s $213 million budget gap.

SEPTA confirmed early Friday morning that it will put plans for service cuts into motion.

In a statement just after midnight Friday morning, a SEPTA spokesperson said, “With no new funding secured, SEPTA must proceed with work to implement service cuts of 20% starting on Aug. 24. If a funding solution is reached, SEPTA will work as quickly as possible to reverse course and minimize disruptions for our customers. We remain hopeful that a funding agreement can be reached soon in Harrisburg.”

The lack of a deal leaves several questions for passengers across the region, including residents who take public transit to work and students heading back to school in two weeks.

SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said the transit authority needed state funding by Aug. 14 to avoid disruptive cuts taking effect by Aug. 24. It would take about 10 days for the system to implement the new reduced schedules and make adjustments to things like train signals, digital signage at stations and on buses, and more.

“The 10 days between the deadline and the start of the new schedules is the bare minimum that we need to complete the multitude of tasks required to ensure that we can safely and efficiently transition service to new timetables,” Sauer said in a recent news conference announcing the reduced schedules.

Lawmakers on both sides have said they understand mass transit is important and they want to work toward a deal. But as of Thursday, what that deal could look like and where they go from here — with no bill on the table that can pass both chambers — is unclear.

It’s also unclear when the Pennsylvania House and Senate will reconvene in Harrisburg to discuss mass transit or the budget. A spokesperson for Gov. Josh Shapiro said he was working with leaders in both parties Thursday to finalize a budget deal, but that has yet to happen.

“The governor is in the Capitol, continuing to work at this with a relentless focus on delivering for the kids who need SEPTA to get to school, the hard-working Pennsylvanians who depend on it to get to and from work, and the communities that power our economy and rely on the system,” Shapiro’s spokesperson said. “Gov. Shapiro will continue working to narrow the differences between the House and the Senate in order to get this done.”

Rep. Ed Neilson, a Democrat representing Philadelphia who chairs the House Transportation Committee, said he does not believe a deal will be made before the cuts go into effect. Neilson appeared at a community event in Northeast Philly on Thursday alongside other leaders, including Democratic Rep. Sean Dougherty, who introduced the House plan, and Republican Sen. Joe Picozzi, who introduced the Senate version.

“I don’t believe it will be done by the 24th, I’m sad to say. I have people close to me that use these services every day, and it breaks my heart,” Neilson said.

Picozzi said he is “willing to work with anybody and everybody.”

When Dougherty was asked what happens next, he said, “That’s the million-dollar question. I don’t know yet.”

When will the SEPTA cuts go into effect? These cuts would happen in two phases, with the first happening Aug. 24 and the second in January 2026.

Sauer and other officials have warned that major service cuts would be the start of a “transit death spiral,” where service cuts and fare increases lead to fewer people using the system and paying fares, reducing revenue and necessitating further cuts.

A spokesperson said earlier Thursday that while SEPTA was holding out for something by the end of the day, staff needed to start getting ready.

“We’ve been treating this as if it was an inevitability for months, to make sure when we get to this point, everything is in line to weather the storm, to blunt the impact on our customers as much as possible,” assistant communications director Lex Powers said.

What will be impacted by the SEPTA cuts? A PDF about how each bus, train and trolley route will be impacted is available here on SEPTA’s website, but here is a quick summary of the cuts that will take effect in August:

32 bus routes would be eliminated 16 bus routes would be shortened Service would be reduced on 88 lines (a mix of buses and trains) All special service such as the Sports Express will cease Those cuts would be followed by a hiring freeze beginning Sept. 1 and a fare hike to $2.90, which would tie New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the highest fare in the country, though the MTA may soon raise the fare to $3.

If SEPTA makes it to January 2026 with no funding increase, these additional cuts would take place:

24 more routes will be eliminated, including 18 bus routes, 5 Regional Rail lines and the Broad-Ridge Spur subway 2 trolley routes would become bus routes A 9 p.m. curfew would be implemented on all remaining train lines What did Republicans and Democrats disagree on in funding SEPTA? Republicans in the Pennsylvania Senate wanted to draw around $300 million a year for the next two years from the Pennsylvania Transit Trust Fund.

Picozzi, the Republican senator from Northeast Philadelphia, claimed the bill would be a “bridge” to fund SEPTA for the next two years while lawmakers work on a long-term solution.

“It’s a plan that sustains them until we can get long-term funding in place,” Republican state Sen. Frank Farry said. “There’s plenty of money in there, and I can tell you, as I’ve talked to a lot of residents today, they’re like, are you kidding me? The money for SEPTA is literally just sitting in a bank account in Harrisburg.”

House Democrats, SEPTA leaders and PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll came out against the plan Wednesday, arguing the GOP-backed plan would fund SEPTA’s day-to-day operations with dollars meant for the future, taking away funding for things like infrastructure upgrades.

House Democrats wanted to fund mass transit by increasing its share of sales and use tax revenue, but that was also shot down.

“If they’re not going to agree with what the House has come up with in the way of recurring revenue, then they need to come up with a plan that produces recurring revenue,” state Sen. Steve Santarsiero, of Bucks County, said.

SEPTA also pointed to a need to replace its aging rail cars, which Sauer said are more than 50 years old.

What are SEPTA riders going to do? Democrats in the legislature have said SEPTA’s service cuts will lead to thousands of more cars on the roads and increase travel times, especially on the region’s major highways.

“I think it’s difficult for a lot of people like me who live in the suburbs out here to get into the city for jobs,” commuter Hannah Wenz said at the Wissahickon station on the Manayunk-Norristown Line, which would be under a 9 p.m. curfew starting in January.

“I work in the hospital in the city, it’s definitely affecting a lot of the workplace,” Wenz said.

Wenz added that if she were not able to take SEPTA, she’d probably need to Uber to work.

SEPTA without the cuts is “affordable for people like me, and it’s convenient, too,” Wenz said.

Powers said now is the time for riders to prepare ahead of the potential cuts.

At Frankford Transportation Center, reality is setting in for riders, as signs are posted warning riders about routes that will be affected by the cuts.

Many SEPTA riders said their commutes will become longer as a result of this funding stalemate.

“I’m going to have to get up extra, extra early to be able to make it to work on time,” said Kenneth Paramore, who is from Germantown.

Nathaniel Price, of West Philly, said he could use Uber, but that it would hurt his wallet.

“It’s expensive to do it every day, all day,” he said.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.