Like many other transit agencies across the nation, SEPTA has hit a fiscal cliff because of the pandemic. One-time federal COVID relief funds were used to help cover the day-to-day expenses of running the system, which maintained service during the pandemic and supported the post-pandemic recovery. Those funds ran out this past spring, creating a nearly quarter billion-dollar annual budget deficit. With no prospect of a statewide recurring solution, SEPTA announced today a new fare increase proposal that would see rates jump by more than 20% across all modes and payment methods. Customers would see fares increase by nearly 30% starting January 1, 2025.
While SEPTA’s ridership continues to grow every month as more people return to in-person work, increased fare revenue cannot cover all of SEPTA’s costs, which cover cleaning, safety, and security for riders and employees. In addition, inflation has increased costs for fuel, power, supplies, and other necessary items.
This historically high fare increase would be paired with major service cuts, which SEPTA expects to announce and hold public hearings on in early 2025. While some details of the service reduction plan are still being finalized, it would result in an overall 20% cut in service across all modes. Dozens of routes would be eliminated, and those that remain would operate with significantly less frequency.
Some people will lose SEPTA service completely: SEPTA will be forced to eliminate dozens of routes, leaving some people in our region without access to any transit service or a much longer trip. The number of overcrowded bus trips during the peak period will double. Reduced service forces the same crowds on to fewer buses – making it impossible to keep buses on schedule, reducing reliability, and increasing the number of people “passed up” by overcrowded buses.
These cuts will also force SEPTA to postpone its plans to overhaul the bus network, previously known as Bus Revolution. Over the past three years, we’ve heard from thousands of riders at more than 150 in-person and 50 virtual meetings. Through all of that listening, the most common concerns that riders shared that their bus should come more often (frequency), on-time (reliability), and provide more night and weekend options (schedules). The new bus network prioritizes service that is more frequent, more reliable, and better matches with our riders’ needs, so you can access more of our region than ever before.
However, the reality that SEPTA faces is stark. With no prospect of a statewide solution to help fund the everyday operating expenses of public transportation systems, SEPTA has no choice but to advance historically high fare increase, service reduction, and postpone implementation of New Bus Network – putting aside years of feedback on how to make the system more useful from thousands of riders across the region.
Public hearings on the new fare proposal will be held on December 13 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. For more details, visit Winter 2025 Proposed Fare Changes, Notice of Public Hearings – Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.
