{"id":183226,"date":"2025-08-28T22:36:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T22:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/183226\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T22:36:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T22:36:08","slug":"septa-cuts-uber-partnership-provides-free-rides-for-seniors-in-philadelphia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/183226\/","title":{"rendered":"SEPTA cuts: Uber partnership provides free rides for seniors in Philadelphia"},"content":{"rendered":"

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Uber and several nonprofits have joined forces to offer free transportation to seniors in Philadelphia in response to SEPTA service cuts.<\/a><\/p>\n

The initiative, called the Uber Senior Ride Program, aims to help older adults reach essential destinations such as medical appointments, grocery stores, pharmacies, and senior centers.<\/p>\n

Commuter Crisis: First round of SEPTA cuts in effect | What you need to know<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

“SEPTA’s service cuts have a real impact on our most vulnerable residents, and this innovative partnership is a prime example of how the private sector and community organizations can connect to fill critical gaps to support our neighbors,” said state Rep. Morgan Cephas. “By providing a reliable transportation alternative, we’re helping ensure older Philadelphians can maintain their independence and dignity, while preserving their quality of life.”<\/p>\n

Seniors with smartphones and the Uber app will receive promotional codes and ride vouchers. For those without access to a phone, nonprofit staff from ACHIEVEability <\/a>and the Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation (OARC)<\/a> will act as transportation hubs, directly scheduling rides on their behalf.<\/p>\n

The program is designed to prioritize essential travel needs and ensure seniors remain mobile despite reduced public transit options.<\/p>\n

Phase 1 of SEPTA’s cuts began August 24 due to a $213 million deficit this fiscal year, the agency says. The cuts are reducing service by 20% across buses, trolleys, and subway lines, and the elimination of express services to the sports complex in South Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

A 21.5% fare increase goes into effect Monday, and starting Tuesday, Regional Rail will see reduced service.<\/p>\n

MORE | Lawsuit alleges SEPTA financial crisis is made up <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Funding Talks and Legal Action<\/p>\n

Progress is being made toward a state budget and transportation funding plan that could halt the cuts.<\/p>\n

“We’re very close. Both sides now know what they need to do to close this out and get a deal done,” said Governor Josh Shapiro.<\/p>\n

Top Democrats are entertaining the Republican’s push to use the Public Transit Trust Fund, but emphasize that if tapped, a deal must include recurring funding. Shapiro wants all counties to benefit.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for House Majority Leader Matt Bradford (D-Pennsylvania) released this statement to Action News as talks continue:<\/p>\n

“We have stated many times that compromise is necessary in divided government. We can support a blend of revenues, but we have been clear that any long-term solution must include new, recurring, and reliable funding to fully fund transit in the commonwealth. The Senate Republicans have yet to agree to a proposal that does that. We cannot support any plan that exacerbates this crisis or jeopardizes the long-term safety and security of the transit system and its ridership.”<\/p>\n

SEPTA’s general manager Scott Sauer said he is prepared for all possibilities.<\/p>\n

“I’ll never turn away for short term if thats what the legislature decides to give us. I certainly can’t say no. Depending on the amount and longevity. it will determine what we can do with it and for how long,” he said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, a lawsuit was filed <\/a>against the transit agency on Wednesday due to the cuts. An emergency injunction hearing on the matter will be heard Friday at 9:30 a.m.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2025 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — Uber and several nonprofits have joined forces to offer free transportation to seniors in Philadelphia…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":183227,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5132],"tags":[103042,5229,1448,2830,1311,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-183226","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-philadelphia","8":"tag-103042","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-pa","11":"tag-pennsylvania","12":"tag-philadelphia","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-united-states-of-america","15":"tag-unitedstates","16":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115108786114435422","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183226\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/183227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}