SEPTA Board to vote on massive budget cuts, fare hikes

PHILADELPHIA (WPHL) — The SEPTA Board is set to vote on its Fiscal Year 2026 operating budget on Thursday. The plan would dramatically reshape transit across the Philadelphia region, eliminating several bus routes and regional rail lines by January 2026.

“It’s absolutely impossible for this line not to function because it is moving many, many people,” Mary Keefe said on Action News at 10 on PHL17. She’s from Society Hill, Pa., and commutes using the Paoli/Thorndale line, one of five regional rails that would be eliminated by 2026.

“Overall, we’re talking close to half of all services that we’re running today would be gone as of January 1st,” SEPTA Spokesperson Andrew Busch said on Action News at 10 on PHL17. “For regional railroaders, we would be eliminating five lines.”

Bryn Mawr station, on the Paoli/Thorndale Line, is directly threatened by the Regional Rail line loss. Bryn Mawr College estimates more than half its students rely on SEPTA, sparking rallies and statewide advocacy calling for emergency funding.

In mid-June, the PA House approved nearly $300 million in new mass-transit funding as part of Governor Josh Shapiro’s transit plan. The Senate must now approve the funds. SEPTA officials expressed gratitude and hope, but stressed the urgency: without Senate approval, the drastic cuts remain on the table.

The proposal includes:

Service Reductions: 45% of System Lost

• 50 bus routes eliminated beginning August 24, 2025, with an additional 18 routes cut in January 2026, totaling 68 bus routes removed.
• Five Regional Rail lines, including the Paoli/Thorndale, Cynwyd, Chestnut Hill West, Trenton, and Wilmington/Newark, to be shut down entirely on January 1, 2026.
• Reduced service frequency: a 20% cut across remaining routes, and a mandatory 9 p.m. curfew on all rail services.

Fare Hike: +21.5% Starting September 1

• The base cash fare will increase from $2.50 to $2.90 as of Sept. 1, 2025.
• Other fare products—including weekly, monthly, and key-card passes—will also see steep increases, averaging 21.5%.

Budget Deficit: $213 Million

• The proposed cuts stem from a $213 million structural deficit starting July 1, 2025—the result of expiring COVID-era federal aid and rising operational costs.
• A series of austerity measures—including management pay freezes and consultant cuts—have already saved approximately $30 million.

TIMELINE

June 26, 2025: SEPTA Board votes

July 1, 2025: FY2026 begins

Aug. 24, 2025: 50 bus routes cut, 20% service reductions commence

Sept. 1, 2025: Fare hike, +21.5% base fare increase to $2.90

Jan. 1, 2026: 5 Regional Rails cut & 9 p.m. rail curfew

The final vote at 3 p.m. on Thursday marks a decisive moment for public transit in the region. Should the funding deal in Harrisburg fall through, SEPTA warns, the service cuts and fare hikes will proceed on schedule.