SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer held a press conference on Friday, August 22nd to brief riders and the public on service and safety preparations ahead of Bus, Subway and Trolley service cuts that go into effect on Sunday and Monday, August 24 & 25. Regional Rail service reductions begin on September 2.

SEPTA staff continue to be focused on putting in place the most service possible with the resources we have and ensuring customers have the resources they need to prepare and plan their travel. In building this plan, SEPTA tried to remove as many pain points as possible. Many bus routes being eliminated have services nearby – although more walking and transfers may be necessary.

Visit SEPTA’s website – https://www.septa.org/ – to review the service information and access trip planning tools.

The Service Cuts page – https://wwww.septa.org/fundingcrisis/service-cuts/ – includes specific detail on the service impacts and links to route specific information.

SEPTA’s Rider Guide – https://wwww.septa.org/wp-content/uploads/post/communication/August-2025-SEPTA-Service-Cuts-Rider-Guide.pdf – provides information for customers on how to use the various travel tools.

For parents, families and caregivers with school-aged children, should consult the School & University guide – https://wwww.septa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/SEPTA-FundingCrisis_SchoolImpacts.pdf – that includes school specific impacts and service options.

Bus, Metro and Regional Rail Reduced Service Schedules –

Reduced Bus & Metro Schedules (August 24 & 25): https://wwww.septa.org/news/bus-metro-fall-schedules/

Reduced Regional Rail Schedules (September 2: https://wwww.septa.org/news/regional-rail-fall-schedules/

Fare Information –

Fare increases beginning on September 1 will raise fares by an average of 21.5% across all modes and fare products. Full details on the fare increase are available at https://wwww.septa.org/fundingcrisis/fare-increases/. Riders who advance purchase monthly passes have already begun to see the fare increase at the time of purchase.

Additional Resources – Customers should follow bookmark and follow the below sites and social media accounts for updates on service and other SEPTA news.

Customer Service: Customers can always obtain service and other information from SEPTA Customer Service online at https://wwww.septa.org/customer-service/ or by calling 215-580-7800.

·       SEPTA’s website: https://www.septa.org/ and https://wwww.septa.org/fundingcrisis/

·       SEPTA App: https://wwww.septa.org/app/

SEPTA has created a SEPTA Service Cuts Rider Guide you can download to help you plan for service cuts beginning on Sunday, August 24th.

For your convenience, you can download the SEPTA Service Cuts Rider Guide here: https://wwww.septa.org/wp-content/uploads/post/communication/August-2025-SEPTA-Service-Cuts-Rider-Guide.pdf

Bus & Metro schedule changes here: septa.org/news/bus-metro-fall-schedules/

Regional Rail schedule changes here: septa.org/news/regional-rail-fall-schedules/

In addition to the new timetables, SEPTA encourages customers to use the online Trip Planner to look for possible alternative routes.

You can also download the SEPTA app on your phone to plan ahead.

Information on the service reduction plan and route specific details are available on SEPTA’s website at: https://wwww.septa.org/fundingcrisis/service-cuts/

Starting Sunday, August 24, 2025, SEPTA will be making service cuts and schedule changes. If your usual route is affected, you can use the Share-A-Ride trip planner to explore your options, including carpools, vanpools, and updated transit routes.

To get the best results, please make sure your Share-A-Ride account profile is up to date.

Reminder: SEPTA fares will increase on September 1.

For more information on the bus route and schedule changes, please go to: septa.org/fundingcrisis/service-cuts/

For fare information, go to: septa.org/fundingcrisis/fare-increases/

For questions about the Share-A-Ride program, contact Lauren Amway Fink at Lfink@dctma.org.

Visit our website to access all of your commuting alternatives, including telework, Share-A-Ride, riding public transit, compressed work week schedules, and more.

New state funding has not yet been approved, and SEPTA must budget with the funds we have available. Therefore, we have no choice but to move forward with Phase 1, which implements 20% service cuts on August 24, August 25 and September 2 and a 21.5% fare increase on September 1. Riders 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), longer commute times and more crowded conditions onboard.

Phase 1 Service Cuts: Starting August 24

Visit SEPTA’s website here for full timeline and outline of service cuts.

New State Funding Needs to be Secured by Aug. 14 to Avoid Massive Service Cuts; Schedules Reflecting 20% Reductions Effective Aug. 24 Now Available on SEPTA.org

PHILADELPHIA (August 6, 2025) – New state transit funding must be secured by Aug. 14 in order for SEPTA to avoid implementation of a 20% service cut to close a recurring budget deficit. Otherwise, SEPTA must advance efforts to ensure staff, equipment and materials for customers are ready for reduced schedules starting on Aug. 24.

SEPTA has released schedules reflecting the service cuts and is urging customers to review all of their travel options. Overall, there would be a 20% cut to all services, including the elimination of 32 bus routes and significant reductions in trips on rail modes, and an end to all special service including the Sports Express.

The implementation deadline must be set for SEPTA to have time to complete a series of critical pre-schedule change tasks. This includes finalizing work schedules for thousands of frontline workers and other staff, and ensuring equipment is in place and ready for service. Time is also needed to prepare data feeds for the SEPTA App, external feeds, digital signage, platform announcements, and bus and train marquees to ensure service information is accurate. These processes typically take a minimum of three weeks to complete for routine schedule changes, but will be compressed to less than 10 days to ensure all facets of SEPTA’s operation are ready for new schedules on Aug. 24.

“Our planning and operations staff have worked hard to compress the timeline for pre-schedule change work, but we cannot push it beyond Aug. 14,” said SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer. “If funding is not secured by then, these painful service cuts will go into effect on Aug. 24.”

The Aug. 24 service cuts would be the first of several steps SEPTA will take this year to fill a $213 million budget deficit, absent a legislative solution. Additional measures will quickly follow, including a 21.5% fare increase on Sept. 1 and a complete hiring freeze later in that month. A second wave of service cuts on Jan. 1 will include the elimination of five Regional Rail Lines, a 9 p.m. curfew on all rail services, and the elimination of 18 additional bus routes to achieve an overall 45% reduction in service. Those are steps needed to balance this year’s budget without new funding. Additional cuts would follow in subsequent years.

“At that point, we will be left with no other choice but to begin dismantling the SEPTA system,” Sauer said. “Tens of thousands of people or more will be left with no viable public transportation options.”

SEPTA has worked to create two sets of schedules for all service modes – one set of schedules based on current service levels and another set reflecting the 20% cuts. The Authority has also put up signs at the 3,000 bus stops across the system that will be eliminated as of Aug. 24, and has met with officials at the School District of Philadelphia, where tens of thousands of students need to find other ways to get to school, which begins the next day on Aug. 25.

“We remain optimistic that a funding agreement can be reached by August 14,” Sauer said. “We will continue working with lawmakers in any way we can to help get this over the finish line.”
Schedules reflecting the service cuts are available here:

Bus & Metro: septa.org/news/bus-metro-fall-schedules/

Regional Rail: septa.org/news/regional-rail-fall-schedules/
In addition to the new timetables, SEPTA encourages customers to use the online Trip Planner to find alternate routes when possible.

For more information about SEPTA, visit septa.org, follow @SEPTA, or download the official SEPTA app.