On Monday, April 14, 2025 SEPTA Interim General Manager Scott Sauer, SEPTA Program Manager for 2026 Special Events Shakirah Smith, and SEPTA Transit Police Chief Charles Lawson testified before the City Council Hearing on 2026 Preparedness at the request of Councilman Thomas and members of Philadelphia City Council.
The testimony was an opportunity to update members on the steps SEPTA is making to prepare for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Semiquincentennial, and the major events that will punctuate the entire year.
SEPTA service was a significant factor in helping to secure Philadelphia as a World Cup host city—so it was particularly painful to appear following our recent fiscal year 2026 budget announcement which included service cuts and fare increases that SEPTA will need to implement to balance our budget without a permanent state funding solution for transit.
The math is simple. If Governor Shapiro’s funding plan is not enacted—and service cuts were to go into effect in late August—SEPTA will not be able to provide additional service for special events or support the transportation needs demanded of our world class city next year.
Just as the City is preparing to welcome the world—SEPTA would go from driving its economy to holding it back.
The scale of events planned throughout 2026 requires intense preparation and we will continue to do so until funding dictates otherwise.
With a fully balanced budget—supported by a permanent state transit funding plan—SEPTA will commit $50 million to support 2026 events. Operations, staffing, safety & security, and marketing obligations are estimated to cost approximately $21 million.
While $30 million in facility and infrastructure upgrades are planned for key stations including:
Platform resurfacing, variable message displays, and camera upgrades at NRG Station
Fare gate realignment, platform resurfacing, painting, new LED lighting, and upgraded cameras at City Hall Station
Reconstructed and modernized headhouses at 2nd Street Station
And new LED lighting and painting at Fern Rock Transportation Center
As it is for games and concerts nearly every day of the year—the B will be the workhorse to the Sports Complex which at full capacity can carry 25,000 – 30,000 passengers per hour to NRG Station with 6 – 8-minute headways.
SEPTA will also be standing up dedicated bus service from Center City to FIFA’s Fan Fest at Lemon Hill. We are currently planning to provide service roughly every 10 minutes from late morning to evening and can carry over 1,800 people per hour. On match days alone we project moving as many as 100,000 -110,000 fans to and from the Stadium Complex and Lemon Hill.
Our budget and planning also include added capacity on the L and Regional Rail Lines as conditions dictate.
This will be an all-hands-on-deck event. SEPTA Ambassadors and operations personnel will be deployed at major transportation hubs to help with customer service, crowd control, line queuing, and information.
Other recent initiatives will also improve the customer experience:
Metro Wayfinding—using new route names, terminology and signage—is designed to make travel easier – regardless of familiarity, language or disability
The SEPTA website is now optimized for mobile viewing
The upgraded SEPTA app now includes SEPTA Key and Transit Watch functionality
And contactless payment is available on all SEPTA modes. Visitors and daily riders can now simply tap a credit or debit card or mobile wallet.
Visitors will see safer and cleaner stations and vehicles.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has designated the World Cup a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) 1 event and SEPTA’s Transit Police Department is partnering with law enforcement at all levels to help coordinate city and regional preparedness.
Safety is SEPTA’s highest value and over the past three years we have more than doubled spending on cleaning, safety and security priorities, investments that have SEPTA well-positioned to support 2026 events.
The SEPTA Transit Police Department achieved its largest-ever one-year drop in serious crime last year. This equates to 350 fewer incidents—a 33% decrease that includes:
42% decrease in robberies
42% decrease in criminal assaults on employees
45% decrease in serious crime across Center City SEPTA stations
Over the past year SEPTA has performed a top-to-bottom restructuring of cleaning operations under the new Deputy Chief Operating Officer for Cleaning. With added cleaners and maintenance personnel we have increased station deep cleans:
Pressure washing 50 station passenger areas and 160 station entrances and exits per month
While Track Cleaners are working at all hours and conditions to remove debris from the track areas.
The results of these efforts are already starting to be reflected in improved customer satisfaction scores.
We know this is a historic opportunity for our City and success in 2026 will resonate for decades to come.
We are hopeful that a permanent state transit funding plan will be enacted quickly so that SEPTA can continue to fulfill its commitments to this important undertaking.
We are grateful for Council’s support of our funding efforts in Harrisburg and we ask everyone who values SEPTA’s critical role in the city’s future to make your voices heard.