State Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman (R-41) on Thursday said plans by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to raise rates to address its budget deficit warrants serious review.
“Asking Pennsylvanians to invest hundreds of millions of dollars into mass transit is a challenging argument to make to constituents in rural areas of the commonwealth,” Pittman said. “SEPTA’s proposal to take steps forward and address their financial issues is a positive development.
“Given the substantial state investments for SEPTA included in the current state budget, as well as previous budgets, it is critical for conversations surrounding increased support of rider share and taxpayer subsidy to also take place at the local government level,” he said.
SEPTA yesterday announced proposed fare adjustments, including the elimination of a number of discounts, as the authority faces a $240 million annual budget deficit with the exhaustion of federal COVID relief funds.
While the state budget includes a small additional distribution to SEPTA, it is less than one-fourth of what the authority originally requested, and the need for a permanent solution grows more urgent by the day, according to SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth E. Lawrence, Jr.
“The SEPTA Board has worked tirelessly to advocate for transit funding,” said Lawrence. “We are optimistic about an agreement on funding in Harrisburg; however, we need to act now to ensure that SEPTA is best positioned to provide reliable service to the city and region.”
The proposal would bring the Travel Wallet fare on buses, subways, and trolleys to $2.50, which is the same as the cash fare. Free transfers on Transit would remain, and SEPTA would eliminate restrictions on direction of travel for transfers — introducing new flexibility that would allow for more roundtrips on a single fare, SEPTA said.
“We worked hard to make sure this fare proposal is equitable,” SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie Richards said. “We know that no one wants to pay more for anything, but we are pulling out all the stops to try to avoid devastating service cuts.”
Richards added that without new state transit funding, SEPTA “will have to consider additional fare increases in the spring. What we are announcing today is an initial step toward planning for our uncertain future.”
The proposal also would increase most single-trip fares on Regional Rail and align Travel Wallet and Quick Trip pricing. All daily, weekly, and monthly passes would remain the same price, according to SEPTA.
Additionally, three Zone 2 stations would become Zone 1 stations. Customers with weekly or monthly TransPass+ would have access to Regional Rail services at Overbrook, Wissahickon, and Tulpehocken stations at no additional cost — bringing the total number of Zone 1 stations to 18.
“I have made it clear that any transit discussion at the state level cannot occur without consideration of transportation infrastructure investment,” Sen. Pittman said. “We have never addressed transit or infrastructure without the other and the harsh reality is that if we’re going to deal with both issues, we need a new revenue stream which will not place additional pressure on the General Fund.”
SEPTA’s last fare increase was in 2017. Planned fare increases in 2020 were deferred due to the pandemic, said SEPTA, adding that the proposed fare adjustments would generate an additional $14.4 million in annual revenue.
The authority, which has enacted close to $20 million for fiscal year 2025 so far, also continues to evaluate fiscal measures to reduce budgeted spending, including putting a hold on non-essential employee travel, hiring, and other expenses.
And starting on Sept. 23, SEPTA will reinstate parking fees with a phased approach following four years of offering free parking to help attract customers back to the system. Daily parking rates at SEPTA-owned surface lots will increase to $2 from $1 and to $4 from $2 at the Frankford Transportation Center, Norristown, and Lansdale garages. SEPTA said the fees will help offset parking lot maintenance costs.
At the same time, SEPTA must ensure that funding is available to continue efforts that are making the system safer, cleaner, and more secure. Since last fall, the authority has hired 40 new police officers, resulting in a 37 percent decrease in serious crime during the first half of this year.
The authority is also looking to add more full-length gates at stations to help prevent fare evasion, following a successful pilot of new technology.
“Public safety of SEPTA users and staff remains a top concern of our caucus, as well,” said Pittman, adding that much of the information released yesterday raises more questions than answers.
“I look forward to a better understanding of SEPTA’s planned rate changes and ways they look to further address safety concerns at their planned hearings,” he said.
SEPTA will hold public hearings regarding the proposed fare adjustments on Oct. 16 at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Pending approval by the SEPTA Board on Nov. 21, the proposed fare adjustments would go into effect Dec. 1.