Without action in Harrisburg to provide new funding for transit, the SEPTA Board today voted to approve the Fiscal Year 2026 Operating Budget, which will cut service by 45% and raise fares 21.5% to fill a $213 million recurring budget deficit.

Under the budget approved by the SEPTA Board today, beginning with the fall schedule change on August 24, customers will first see the elimination of 32 bus routes and significant reductions in trips on all rail services, including the end of special services like Sports Express.

Then on September 1, a fare increase averaging 21.5% for all riders will go into effect. The new base fare for Bus and Metro trips will be $2.90 – tying New York’s MTA for the highest in the country. At the same time, SEPTA will also freeze all hiring, including bus operators. The Authority has worked hard to overcome a chronic shortage of operators that started during the pandemic.

On January 1, service cuts will deepen with the elimination of five Regional Rail lines, more bus routes, and the implementation of a 9 pm curfew on all remaining rail services.

“This budget will effectively dismantle SEPTA – leaving the City and region without the frequent, reliable transit service that has been an engine of economic growth, mobility, and opportunity,” said SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer. “Once this dismantlement begins, it will be almost impossible to reverse, and the economic and social impacts will be immediate and long-lasting for all Pennsylvanians – whether they ride SEPTA or not.”