PA Senate Reconvening To Consider SEPTA Funding: Latest Updates

PHILADELPHIA — Thursday is the deadline for SEPTA to be properly funded to avoid drastic service cuts as it faces a massive budget shortfall. And that leaves the Pennsylvania Senate only a few days to weigh in on a House bill that would provide the transit authority with the funds it needs to avoid major cutbacks.

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 1788 on Monday, with 108 members approving the bill and 96 opposing it.

All house Democrats voted for 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).

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That leaves the bill in the hands of the Senate, which is scheduled to reconvene at 4 p.m. Tuesday. It's unclear when, and if, the Senate will hold a vote on the bill.

State Rep. Sean Dougherty (D-172nd District) is the author of HB1788, and he called out state senators, for dragging their feet on addressing the looming transit crisis.

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"The Senate needs to get back to Harrisburg immediately and finally fund public transit, because our state’s well-being truly depends on it," he said.

The senate is controlled by the GOP, which has 27 seats. Senate Democrats have 23 seats.

If funding is not secure by Thursday, SEPTA will begin implementing major service cuts on Aug. 24.

Service cuts include ending 32 bus routes, 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.