SEPTA has approved the first of two proposed fare increases, as the Authority faces a $240 million annual budget deficit. The 7.5% fare increase will go into effect on Dec. 1.
“For two years, we have been warning about the dire consequences facing SEPTA – and our region – due to the looming fiscal cliff,” said SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth E. Lawrence, Jr. on Thursday. “With no prospect of a statewide solution to help fund the everyday operating expenses of public transportation systems, we have no choice but to continue plans to confront this stark reality.”
Earlier this month, SEPTA announced a second fare increase proposal that would increase fares an additional 21.5%. Coupled with the fare increase approved by the Board Thursday, beginning on Jan. 1, 2025, SEPTA customers would pay an average of 29% more to travel on SEPTA.
The Authority will hold public hearings regarding the second proposal on Dec. 13 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
SEPTA leaders are also finalizing a 20% service cut. Details are expected to be announced in early 2025, with the reductions being implemented in the summer, according to SEPTA Chief Operating Officer Scott Sauer.
“This is not a position we ever wanted to be in,” said Sauer. “We have been investing carefully in service enhancements and customer and employee safety initiatives to improve service and bring more riders back to the system, and those efforts are paying off. We need a funding solution that will ensure SEPTA can provide the level of service our region needs and deserves.”
The latest fare hike was announced one day after SEPTA and its largest labor union, Transport Workers Local 234, reached an agreement on a tentative contract, averting the threat of a strike that would have halted transit service in Philadelphia.
