It’s time for Greater Philadelphia’s business community to sound the alarm on an impending economic emergency: inadequate transit funding in Pennsylvania.
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) is facing a $213 million budget deficit that threatens to undermine the economic health of our region. Without decisive action from our state lawmakers to enact a dedicated transit funding solution, SEPTA will be forced to implement painful service cuts and fare increases.
SEPTA announced plans today to increase fares across the system by 21.5 percent, making them among the most expensive in the country. Service would be cut nearly in half across all modes, including the wholesale elimination of five regional rail lines and dozens of bus routes, leaving many without access to employment, education and healthcare. Frequency on remaining routes would be reduced and concluded daily at 9pm. Once these service cuts are enacted, they are nearly impossible to reverse.
These plans would lead to massive drops in ridership and the dismantlement of our transit system after generations of investment. Workers will leave Greater Philadelphia for areas with less traffic congestion and more transit-accessible options. Employers will struggle to hire before ultimately taking those unfilled jobs out of the region. Students who rely on SEPTA to get to school each day will be left without options. Visitors who plan to use public transportation to access our world-class events and destinations will spend less. As a result, SEPTA projects that this crisis could result in over 75,000 job losses in our region, devastating local businesses, fragmenting neighborhoods and contracting our regional economy.
The consequences would hurt our communities and reverse years of economic progress. These fare increases and service reductions will widen economic disparities and hinder our region’s progress toward equitable growth, making transportation even more challenging for those struggling to support their families.
However, there is still time for lawmakers to act before these plans begin to take hold in August 2025. We need your voice to help secure the future and prosperity of Greater Philadelphia.
Get involved
- Register for our virtual briefing delivered from SEPTA on its plans on Wednesday, April 23, 2025. Participants will have the opportunity to submit questions on SEPTA’s service plan and timeline.
- Tell PA lawmakers to take action to avoid SEPTA service cuts and fare increases.
- Sign up to receive updates on transit funding or to play an active role in our advocacy moving forward.
- Join us in Harrisburg for a planned transit rally on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, or join a scheduled rally at Philadelphia City Hall tomorrow (Friday), April 11, 2025.
Thank you for your attention to this critical issue. Together, we can make a difference.
Chellie Cameron is president and Chief Executive Officer of The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia.
The Citizen welcomes guest commentary from community members who represent that it is their own work and their own opinion based on true facts that they know firsthand.
