On Tuesday, riders and lawmakers demanded action at a rally in Philadelphia's Love Park.
Regional Rail riders are both frustrated with delays and concerned about their safety, and are now demanding funding in the state budget for SEPTA.
RELATED: SEPTA riders deal with delayed, overcrowded trains amid safety inspections following NTSB report
"I'm scared that like two-thirds of the time I'm on a train car, something might happen to me. Or I might be running late to work, which would be the least of my worries," said transit rider Quyen Le.
After a string of fires this year, the NTSB urged the transit agency to take action. SEPTA safety inspectors have pulled Regional Rail train cars, which, at times, have caused great delays, even leaving riders stranded.
The transit agency must comply with an emergency order issued by the Federal Railroad Administration to inspect each of its 225 rail cars on its Silverliner IV fleet.
SEPTA has until the end of October to inspect all cars. That means three shifts of inspectors are working overtime to complete the task.
RELATED: A look inside SEPTA Silverliner IV inspections following NTSB report
Now, riders, community activists and elected officials are calling for renewed funding for SEPTA. The transit agency is relying on $394 million, which was set aside for capital improvements to fund its operations.
"Those capital funds, if ever there were a question if they were needed, we need to replace these rail cars, that's about a $2 billion project," said SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch.
Last week, a state budget passed in the House. The Senate returns on October 20, with no budget vote on the calendar.
"They're telling SEPTA to update fleet, how can we do that if we're robbing Peter to pay Paul?" said another rally goer.
SEPTA says it is working to both meet federal regulations as well as speed up its fleet inspection. They are asked to complete the safety checks within 30 days to meet NTSB requirements.