This comes with just three days left to secure funding needed to avoid massive service cuts.
The legislation passed in the House by 108-95 over the objection of nearly every Republican in the chamber. It has the support of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, but Republican senators have resisted increasing aid for transit.
The state Senate will convene Tuesday afternoon, but it's not known if any legislation involving SEPTA will be acted upon.
In a statement to Action News, Senate majority leader Joe Pittman did not disclose what exactly the Senate could consider when they convene, saying in part that "they will consider options to address the consequences of a budget impasse."
HB 1788 would fund transit systems, plus road and bridge projects in all 67 counties in the commonwealth. It would also invest in SEPTA to avoid looming cuts, as well as set requirements for safety, efficiency and accountability in public transit.
The bill - which includes funding for highways, too - increases aid for transit agency operations by $292 million, or about 25% more, with the lion's share of the money going to SEPTA.
RELATED: Governor Josh Shapiro, SEPTA leaders and riders urge lawmakers to act on latest transit bill
However, SEPTA has said it cannot keep waiting for more aid and must start making cuts in the coming days, which it says will be more drastic than any undertaken by a major transit agency in the United States.
If state funding isn't assured by Thursday, SEPTA official say cuts will begin going into effect on August 24.
SEPTA's future in the hands of the Pa. legislature
The nation's sixth-largest public transit system has warned that it will cut half its services by Jan. 1 and be unable to provide enhanced service for major tourist events next year. Those include FIFA World Cup matches in Philadelphia, events surrounding the celebration of the nation's 250th birthday, Major League Baseball's all-star game, the PGA Championship and NCAA March Madness games.
Under the plan, fares will then rise by 21.5% on Sept. 1 and, soon after, the agency will impose a hiring freeze. It will carry out another service cut on Jan. 1 that will mean that it will have eliminated half its current services, it has said.
RELATED: SEPTA's board approves 'doomsday' budget that drastically slashes service | What happens next
Democrats say shoring up public transit agencies around the state is critical to the economy and making sure people can get to work, school and medical appointments.
Republicans have objected that transit agencies need to become more efficient, highways need more state funding and transit riders should pay higher fares.
The deadline push comes after two years of stalemate, and as transit agencies nationwide struggle with rising costs and lagging ridership.
State Rep. Sean Dougherty (D), Philadelphia, pointed out the urgency that this funding must get passed for not only SEPTA, but public transit operations throughout Pennsylvania.
"Northeast Philadelphia runs on SEPTA, and many communities all across the Commonwealth heavily rely on public transit," Dougherty said. "If they become reality, these service cuts will hurt real people, destroy jobs and hurt businesses of every size, not just in my district, but in communities across all 67 counties. We are out of time! The Senate needs to get back to Harrisburg immediately and finally fund public transit, because our state's well-being truly depends on it."
Transit agencies in Pittsburgh and elsewhere around Pennsylvania also say they are making cuts or raising fares, or both.
Under the bill, an extra 1.75 percentage points of state sales tax revenue - from 4.4% to 6.15% - would go toward a public transit fund to help pay for the operations of several dozen transit systems around the state. The increase represents about $292 million.
Democrats inserted several other provisions into the bill in a bid to pick up Republican votes.
That includes funding up to $325 million in borrowing authority for highway projects, allocating $275 million for improvements to smaller, rural roads and commissioning the creation of performance standards for the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh transit agencies.
The bill is one of five that the House has passed to fund public transit without raising taxes on Pennsylvanians, but the Senate has not acted on any of the previous bills.
HB 1788 will now head to the State Senate.
The Associated Press contributed to this post.