SEPTA urges riders to start planning now for upcoming service cuts that begin on Aug. 24
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Now that the deadline to secure additional funding from the state has come and gone, SEPTA is urging riders to get ready for major changes.
SEPTA's self-imposed deadline expired Thursday, and now the transit agency is moving forward with deep service cuts and higher fares.
The first of the changes kicks in on Aug. 24, just one day before Philadelphia students head back to school.
SEPTA says it will have ambassadors at busy stops starting Monday to help riders plan. Officials are urging people to utilize their website and app.
"We have a trip planning feature where you can plug in your route or destination and see what will be the best option for you on the 24th," said SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch. "If you have a bus route eliminated, it's going to show you what's running there that you may be able to use as an alternative."
MORE | Get the latest on the SEPTA commuter crisis here.
Busch said SEPTA has been in touch with many of the major employers in the city and across the region because their workforce will be impacted.
That includes City of Philadelphia employees, who were ordered to return to the office full-time last summer.
Since September 2023, eligible city workers benefited from free transit passes through the SEPTA Key Advantage program.
Action News asked the mayor's office if any accommodations were planned for city workers.
"In regard to SEPTA service reductions and delays, the effects from these changes are real and the City will do everything in its means to ensure public transportation into and throughout Philadelphia is reliable," said press secretary Leah Uko in a statement.
Mayor Cherelle Parker said she hopes there is a resolution. The city is instructing employees to plan ahead and discuss hardships with managers.
"What we're doing as a city is to make sure the system is reliable. We're bringing on extra ppl to manage the signal systems, re-timing of signal systems and focus on corridors that are key corridors we expect more traffic to be," said Deputy Managing Director Michael Carroll.
SEE ALSO | SEPTA service cuts could add 275,000 vehicles to local roads, experts warn
SEPTA will ultimately be cutting 45% of all service and raising fares by 20% in response to a $213 million budget shortfall.
Lawmakers in Harrisburg are currently in a stalemate. Attempts to pass funding bills through the legislature this week have failed.
You can learn more about the planned cuts at SEPTA.org
