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5d ago

SEPTA Slashes Service Across Philadelphia Region as Riders Face First Weekday Test

A budget stalemate in Harrisburg left a $213 million gap, triggering a 21.5% fare increase next week with deeper cuts looming without a funding deal.

Passengers board a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) bus in Philadelphia, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Passengers board a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) bus in Philadelphia, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) bus pulls out of a transit center in Philadelphia, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
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Overview

  • SEPTA implemented a 20% systemwide reduction that eliminates 32 bus routes, shortens 16 more, and trims frequency on buses, trolleys, subways, and Regional Rail.
  • The first weekday brought crowded vehicles and some denied boardings, with the School District citing attendance drops at at least one high school as 52,000 students rely on transit.
  • Fares rise 21.5% on Sept. 1 to a $2.90 base ride, and midday Regional Rail service is set to be cut starting Sept. 2 to preserve peak-period trips.
  • City officials urged commuters to shift travel times, carpool, use park‑and‑ride options, and expect more traffic, as SEPTA deploys additional transit police on targeted routes.
  • State lawmakers remain deadlocked after House Democrats rejected a Senate GOP plan to tap capital funds, and SEPTA warns of Jan. 1 reductions that could scrap five Regional Rail lines and impose a 9 p.m. rail curfew, reflecting pressures seen at agencies in Chicago, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Dallas.