PA Lawmakers Vote On SEPTA Funding

PHILADELPHIA — State lawmakers have voted on a bill aiming to provide funding for SEPTA to avoid significant cuts. A floor vote Monday morning on House Bill 1788 passed, with 108 members approving the bill and 96 opposing it.

State Rep. Sean Dougherty (D-172nd District) is the lead sponsor of the bill, which aims to provide SEPTA with the money it needs to stave off extreme service cuts. The bill will now be sent to the Pennsylvania Senate for a vote.

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All house Democrats affirmed the bill, while just seven Republicans did. They are Rep. Shelby Labs (143rd District), Rep. Craig Williams (160th District), Rep. Kathleen Tomlinson (18th District), Rep. Martina White (170th District), Rep. Dane Watro (116th District), Rep. Thomas Mehaffie (106th District), and Rep. Joe Hogan (142nd District).

See the full voting record for HB 1788 online here.

However, Dougherty accused members of the Pennsylvania Senate of delaying funding for SEPTA and said he revised the bill to include oversight language those legislators sought to have added to the bill.

"My bill reaches across the aisle and incorporates Senate Republican language with their priorities - let's get this bill passed so we can fund mass transit across PA, so that my neighbors in Northeast Philly, and all Pennsylvanians can get to work, school, and medical appointments," Dougherty said on social media last week.

The bill requires new oversight and accountability requirements for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority and Pittsburgh Regional Transit, which Senate Republicans demanded be included in any bill. Both authorities have agreed to enhanced safety measures and increased penalties for fare evasion.

Service cuts also include the elimination of five Regional Rail lines: Cynwyd Line, Chestnut Hill West Line, Paoli/Thorndale Line, Trenton Line, Wilmington/Newark Line. These will be cut Jan. 1, 2026

The cuts will also force a significant reduction in trips on all rail services, an end to all special service including the Sports Express, 18 additional bus route eliminations, and a 9 p.m. curfew for all rail services, all of which would also begin Jan. 1, 2026. Additional cuts would follow in subsequent years.And, a 21.5 percent fare increase will be implemented on Sept. 1, as will a complete hiring freeze.

The cuts and fare increases were proposed in response to a $213 million budget gap, which stems from a combination of the end of federal COVID relief funding and increases in the day-to-day costs of providing service to customers. SEPTA is also grappling with the impact of inflation on everyday necessities such as fuel, power and supplies.

The impact of the proposed service cuts would be felt throughout the city and region, as reliable options for everyday travel to school and work are greatly diminished, SEPTA officials said.

Efforts to stave off the funding crisis led SEPTA to take on aggressive austerity measures, including a freeze on management pay and cuts to third-party consultants, have resulted in savings of $30 million. Other measures, including a 7.5 percent fare increase and the resumption of paid parking at Regional Rail lots, are generating new revenue.

SEPTA is working to finalize work schedules for thousands of frontline workers and other staff, and ensuring equipment is in place and ready for service.

Time is also needed to prepare data feeds for the SEPTA App, external feeds, digital signage, platform announcements, and bus and train marquees to ensure service information is accurate.

These processes typically take a minimum of three weeks to complete for routine schedule changes, but will be compressed to less than 10 days to ensure all facets of SEPTA’s operation are ready for new schedules on Aug. 24.

Editor's note: a previous version of this story listed an inaccurate vote tally on the bill. Patch regrets the error.