Overview

• A 20% service reduction began Aug. 24, eliminating 32 bus routes, shortening 16, reducing trips across buses, trolleys and subways, and ending special sports express trains.
• Fares increase 21.5% on Sept. 1 to a $2.90 base fare, and Regional Rail will see midday service cutbacks starting Sept. 2.
• More than 52,000 Philadelphia students depend on transit, and the school district is offering a $300 per-household stipend and excused late arrivals with a parent note.
• Public pressure mounted with a Bucks County rally urging Republican Senate leaders to approve transit funding after House Democrats rejected a plan to tap the Public Transportation Trust Fund and gaming revenues.
• Regional planners warn of heavier traffic and longer commutes, and SEPTA says deeper January cuts—including eliminating five Regional Rail lines and a 9 p.m. rail curfew—will proceed without new funding.