Leaders of the city of Philadelphia and SEPTA officials are putting pressure on the state of Pennsylvania to help the transit agency operate.
They say that right now, it's operating at a deficit.
SEPTA says that it needs $161 million every year to operate and if it can't get that, riders will see services get cut and fare prices go up.
Those things could stop a lot of people from being able to come to the city of Philadelphia which brings in the most revenue for the state.
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“The last thing we want to do is cut service," SEPTA board chair Ken Lawrence said. If we have to start cutting service, if we have to start raising fares where working people can’t pay that, it’ll be a death spiral for the agency.”
Whether you're trying to get across the city, from the suburbs into the city or passing through from out of state, Philadelphia is a major transportation hub for thousands of people every day.
And, SEPTA handles much of that travel.
On Thursday, Sept. 12, SEPTA received $45 million for one-time assistance.
Council president Kenyatta Johnson acknowledged that relief but said SEPTA needs the state to help with funding SEPTA annually.
“We don’t want this to be all about politics. We want this to be all about making sure we have a strong, robust transit system here in the city of Philadelphia," Johnson explained. “I recognize that at the end of the day we can’t sit down and be quiet and idle around this issue. We need to have a fully transit system.”
Back in March 2024, Gov. Josh Shapiro got the state house to approve a plan that would generate $282 million each year for all transit systems. Philadelphia says $161 million of that funding is for SEPTA.
“Unfortunately the senate refused to take that up before they left town in July," Shapiro said.
He noted that one senator proposed an idea to tax and regulate skilled games as an option to help with funding.
“I consider that not a solution, but a bit of a stopgap to get us to this fall and hopefully have a more permanent solution for septa and other mass transit agencies across Pennsylvania," Shapiro said.
SEPTA has taken cost-saving measures while it waits on funding.
A hiring freeze, recently reintroduced and raised parking rates at its regional rail stations as well as soon planning to vote on eliminating discount rates for some riders.
But, leaders noted that's still not going to be enough.
