The Fiscal Year 2026 operating budget approved by the SEPTA Board last month includes systemwide service reductions of 45%, a 21.5% fare increase, and other measures that are needed to balance a $213 million recurring budget deficit without passage of adequate new state funding for public transportation.
SEPTA is grateful for the ongoing efforts of the region’s legislative delegation who are fighting tirelessly to enact the Governor’s transit funding plan that would prevent those drastic measures from taking effect and ensure SEPTA and transit agencies across Pennsylvania have the resources needed to maintain vital service.
While we await final state action on this critical transit funding—the start of SEPTA’s fiscal year on July 1, 2025 set in motion planning and preparations that SEPTA must take to ready operations for the drastic changes that will potentially begin on August 24. Many of these actions have been occurring behind the scenes but in the coming days and weeks—this work will intensify and become more public.
We know you are following this situation closely and we wanted to make sure you are aware of the timeline for this work:
Week of July 28: Bus and Metro operators across the Authority will receive new schedules and prepare to pick their shifts effective August 24.
Beginning July 24: Staff will start installing signage at bus stops throughout the region notifying customers of discontinued routes and eliminated stops.
Early August: Fall service schedules will be publicly released.
It is important to understand that implementing the reduced service plan and properly notifying the public of these changes takes time. While the new schedules will take effect on August 24—necessary steps are already underway.
As full implementation of service reductions nears—it will be difficult to reverse before the new schedules begin.
Information on the service reduction plan and route specific details are available on SEPTA’s website at https://wwww.septa.org/fundingcrisis/service-cuts/. Information on service impacts on schools and universities is available at https://wwww.septa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SEPTA-FundingCrisis_SchoolImpacts.pdf