SEPTA Cuts Will Impact Lower Bucks Co. Find Out How

PHILADELPHIA REGION — Lower Bucks County lawmakers are speaking out against SEPTA's plans to eliminate the Trenton Line because of a "massive structural budget deficit" due to a $213 million budget gap.

State Reps. Tina Davis and Jim Prokopiak issued statements regarding SEPTA proposing the elimination of the Trenton Line and key bus routes in Lower Bucks County, with Davis calling the cuts "deeply troubling."

“These proposed service reductions would have a significant impact on Lower Bucks County residents who rely on SEPTA to get to work, school, medical appointments, and other essential destinations,” Davis said. “The Trenton Line, in particular, is not only well-utilized — it’s also a profitable line. Eliminating it would reduce access and opportunity for thousands of commuters.”

The Trenton Line provides service from Trenton, N.J., to Philadelphia. It makes five stops in Lower Bucks County: Levittown, Bristol, Croydon, Eddington, and Cornwell Heights.

Prokopiak said the Trenton Line is a "profitable service" that includes the recently modernized Levittown-Tullytown Station.

Under SEPTA’s recently released Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget proposal, the Trenton Line—which serves Levittown, Bristol, and Croydon—would be discontinued beginning Jan. 1. Bus Routes 127 and 128 are also slated for elimination, leaving only Route 129 to serve the area.

Bus route 127, running between Oxford Valley Mall in Middletown to the Trenton Transit Center, and bus route 128, providing service between Oxford Valley Mall to Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem, are also on the chopping block. Route 127 includes stops in the Fallsington area and Morrisville. Route 128 includes stops in Tullytown, Bristol Borough, Bristol Township, and Lower Bucks Hospital on Bath Road.

Davis represents Bristol Borough and Bristol Township, while Prokopiak represents Falls Township, Middletown, Morrisville, and Tullytown.

The proposed cuts come as SEPTA faces a projected $213 million structural budget deficit in Fiscal Year 2026, the result of rising operating costs and the expiration of federal COVID-19 relief funds.

Without new state funding, SEPTA has warned it may need to eliminate five Regional Rail lines, discontinue 50 bus routes, and impose fare increases averaging 21.5%, along with a 9 p.m. curfew on all rail service.

Davis urged state and regional leaders to work toward a sustainable funding solution.

“This fare hike would hit the very people who rely on public transit the most — individuals and families who may not have other transportation options,” Davis said. “We cannot place an even greater burden on riders who are already stretching their budgets just to get to work or school. Public transit should be accessible and affordable for everyone.”

Davis pointed to recent infrastructure investments made by SEPTA in the area, including the $36 million reconstruction of the Levittown-Tullytown Station completed in 2019 and a $30 million renovation project currently underway at Bristol Station.

“These are significant, taxpayer-supported investments meant to improve service and expand access. To now propose eliminating the very services those upgrades support raises serious questions about long-term planning and priorities,” she said.

Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed a statewide funding plan to address SEPTA’s financial challenges and avert these cuts. The PA House has passed related legislation multiple times, and negotiations are ongoing in Harrisburg.

“I appreciate the governor’s leadership and the House’s commitment to supporting public transit,” Davis said. “It’s critical that the Senate joins these efforts so that we can ensure stable, reliable transportation options for all Pennsylvanians.”

Davis also underscored the broader economic and environmental consequences of the proposed cuts, including increased congestion and limited mobility for workers and businesses.

“If SEPTA is working to grow ridership and improve access, reducing service — particularly on well-used and productive lines—is not the way forward,” she added. “We need thoughtful, sustainable solutions that reflect the importance of public transit to our regional economy and quality of life.”

Prokopiak joins Gov. Shapiro and House Democratic leaders in calling on the Pennsylvania Senate to support the governor's statewide public transit funding plan — legislation that the House has already passed three times and intends to pass again next month.

"These cuts are a direct consequence of inaction in the Pennsylvania State Senate,. House Democrats are committed to working to secure a future where public transit is expanded, not gutted. The ball is now in the Senate's court," he said.

"Public transportation is a public good — and it's time the legislature treats it that way. We need long-term, sustainable funding for SEPTA and transit systems across the state, not a death spiral of service cuts and fare hikes. If SEPTA's goal is to attract new riders, eliminating service is the absolute wrong way to do it," Prokopiak said.

"The elimination of the Trenton Line and critical bus routes in our community is not only unacceptable —it's irresponsible. This line is one of SEPTA's more profitable routes and serves as a vital transit lifeline for thousands of residents who depend on it daily to get to work, school and medical appointments. Cutting service now, after investing $36 million into the Levittown-Tullytown Station just five years ago, is as wasteful as it is shortsighted."

SEPTA is holding public hearings on its proposed budget May 19–21.

Public comment can be submitted via email at operatingbudget@septa.org or by calling 215-580-7772. All comments must be submitted by May 28.