Philadelphia Transit System Votes to Cut Service by 45%, Hike Fares

[marmar]

Philadelphia’s largest transit system approved sweeping service cuts and fare hikes as it struggles to deal with a gaping budget deficit.

Officials at the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority voted Thursday to approve a fiscal 2026 budget that slashes service by 45% and raises fares by 21.5%. The system has been warning about a $213 million operating deficit for months.

With a July 1 deadline to pass a balanced budget, officials said they had no choice but to move forward with the sweeping cuts to keep the system afloat, though they are continuing to press the state for help. ....................(more)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-06-26/philly-transit-system-votes-to-cut-service-by-45-hike-fares

[bucolic_frolic]

1. What is SEPTA trying to do, catch up with PenDOT fee increases???

[MichMan]

2. Meanwhile Mamdani is promising free with no fares in NYC

[Vogon_Glory]

3. Nice thought but not wise

Last edited Mon Jun 30, 2025, 08:47 AM - Edit history (1)

One of the reasons that New York City’s mass transit systems are still in such a mess is because of deferred maintenance going back decades. While much of it is due to “Conservative” (reactionary) hostility to blue states and blue cities, part of it is due to older policies pursued by liberals and well-meaning progressives by paying for keeping the fares down by skimping on maintenance (The famous nickle fare was one example). The idea of low fares is progressive-sounding and well-meaning, but engineering projects need to be maintained and that costs money. This is a truism that neither right-wing fans of “choking the libs” nor certain well-meaning progressives have never learned.