SEPTA Releases New Schedules Amid Expected Funding Cuts

PHILADELPHIA — The looming service cuts to SEPTA got a bit more real Wednesday, as the transit authority released schedule and timetable details in the event funding is not secured.

With SEPTA facing a structural budget deficit of $213 million, major service cuts are planned. If SEPTA does not get the money it needs, 32 bus routes will be eliminated. SEPTA's board on June 26 approved the potential cuts.

SEPTA called Aug. 14 the "point of no return" in terms of route eliminations, which will begin Aug. 24 and Aug. 25.

Riders can see full schedules for the 20 percent service reduction plan online here.

Specific details on Regional Rail schedules and bus and metro schedules are also available online.

Crews last week installed signs at about 3,000 bus stops in the region to alert riders of the looming cuts. SEPTA has also met with officials at the School District of Philadelphia, where tens of thousands of students need to find other ways to get to school.

Regional Rail Impacts, Fare Increases

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.

Budget Gap Prompts Cuts

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.

App And Other Communication To Be Updated

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.

"Our planning and operations staff have worked hard to compress the timeline for pre-schedule change work, but we cannot push it beyond Aug. 14," SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer said. "If funding is not secured by then, these painful service cuts will go into effect on Aug. 24."

Sauer said come Jan. 1, 2026, SEPTA "will be left with no other choice but to begin dismantling the SEPTA system."

"Tens of thousands of people or more will be left with no viable public transportation options," he said.

Despite the point of no return growing nearer, Sauer said the transit authority is hopeful funding will come from Harrisburg.

"We remain optimistic that a funding agreement can be reached by August 14," he said. "We will
continue working with lawmakers in any way we can to help get this over the finish line."