Passengers board a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) bus in Philadelphia, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025. [AP Photo\/Matt Rourke]<\/p>\n
Last weekend, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) began implementing the first phase of service cuts under its \u201cdoomsday budget<\/a>\u201d adopted in June. These reductions included eliminating 32 bus routes, significantly reducing service across all rail lines, and ending special services such as the Sports Express.<\/p>\n The cuts caused longer wait times and severe overcrowding on vehicles. On social media, many commuters posted complaints about trains and buses bypassing them at stops.<\/p>\n \u201cIn late spring, we had over 800,000 passenger trips per day. Ridership kept growing,\u201d said SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch to ABC News. \u201cThat dips over the summer months, but we expect all those people to come back next week, and right now we just don\u2019t have the capacity for everyone to return.\u201d<\/p>\n Alongside these service cuts, SEPTA planned a 21.5 percent fare increase starting September 1, raising the base fare to $2.90.<\/p>\n The cuts coincided with the start of the school year for nearly 120,000 K-12 students in Philadelphia. About 95,000 students use district-sponsored transportation, including 52,000 who rely on SEPTA student fare cards. According to the School District of Philadelphia, 63 percent of schools reported increased late arrivals, while 54 percent saw a rise in student absences during the first three days of classes compared with the previous year.<\/p>\n These measures stem from a $213 million budget shortfall and unresolved state transit funding. Pennsylvania\u2019s fiscal year 2026 budget remains two months overdue due to Democratic and Republican disagreements in the state legislature.<\/p>\n State Democrats have proposed funding SEPTA through increased sales tax revenue and other largely regressive measures. Republicans claim this approach funds poor resource management with a blank check. They propose using the state\u2019s Public Transportation Trust Fund (PTTF), which is primarily dedicated to transit renovations rather than operating costs.<\/p>\n Republicans say tapping the PTTF could sustain SEPTA operations for two years without raising taxes or cutting other programs while lawmakers pursue \u201cstructural reforms,\u201d \u201coperational efficiencies,\u201d and other euphemisms for budget cuts and privatization.<\/p>\n On Friday, Philadelphia Common Pleas Court Judge Sierra Thomas-Street issued an injunction against SEPTA, saying the agency \u201cmanufactured\u201d its financial crisis and held low-income Philadelphia residents \u201chostage.\u201d<\/p>\n The injunction ordered SEPTA to halt the planned 21.5 percent fare increase and any further service disruptions. Thomas-Street scheduled a hearing for Thursday to decide if SEPTA should reverse prior service cuts and whether the injunction will be extended permanently.<\/p>\n The day before, the City of Philadelphia intervened by announcing plans to use city funds to restore several transit routes cut by SEPTA that are essential for student transportation. Officials said they would allocate a portion of the $135 million designated for public transit in the 2026 fiscal year to restore eight bus routes and improve service on 11 others.<\/p>\n Thomas-Street\u2019s ruling reflects anxiety within Pennsylvania\u2019s political establishment about the potential loss of SEPTA, which serves the economically vital southeastern corridor. The injunction is intended to buy time, hoping the state will provide a more tolerable resolution.<\/p>\n The political establishment also hopes to prevent a worsening of already sharp social tensions in the city. The day before the judge\u2019s ruling, 14,000 Philadelphia public school teachers faced a vote on a tentative agreement<\/a> between the School District and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers aimed at averting a strike during the first week of classes.<\/p>\n Social media groups enforced a gag order on discussions, including frustration over wages that have not kept pace with inflation and restrictive attendance policies penalizing sick days.<\/p>\n This struggle followed an eight-day municipal workers strike in July<\/a> that halted many city services. The AFSCME union ended the strike with a tentative agreement that, again, failed to meet cost-of-living demands for some of the region\u2019s lowest-paid workers, pitting employees against the city\u2019s Democratic government.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n