As SEPTA cuts near, officials offer little hope of a quick fix from Harrisburg

Facing deep cuts set to go into effect Sunday morning, SEPTA officials said there’s little chance a late deal in Harrisburg could immediately reset full service.

Even if a funding deal in Harrisburg is reached before Sunday, it would be almost impossible for the transit agency to roll back the dramatic cuts entirely right away, SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer told reporters Friday morning.

“If a deal were to happen over the next 48 hours, we will do everything in our power to try to put as much service back on the street as we can,” Sauer said. “But it will be very difficult for us to restore service in a manner that customers would be used to.”

Sauer added, “So while I won’t rule out that the possibility exists to go back to some semblance of normalcy by Monday or Sunday, as the clock ticks forward, it gets more and more difficult to do that.”

» READ MORE: Why Harrisburg is unlikely to save SEPTA before cuts go into effect

Those cuts include major changes in SEPTA’s bus, metro, and trolley service, followed by reduced midday frequency on Regional Rail lines and a 21.5% fare increase.

The transit agency is facing a $213 million operating deficit for the 2026 fiscal year, which began July 1. Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposal would send SEPTA an estimated $168 million, but the state budget is nearly two months overdue.

The timing couldn’t be worse for students, with Philly kids set to return to school Monday.

SEPTA transit police chief Charles Lawson said the agency plans to beef up staffing when students are traveling, especially in the afternoons. That includes an increased police presence along about a dozen routes.

“We are virtually doubling our available staffing when the bulk of our students are out traveling on the system,” Lawson told reporters.

Lawson said it’s unclear how the planned service cuts would impact policing throughout the city, so the agency plans to have a daily morning check-in with school police.

“We’re going to discuss the previous day’s school day and determine whether or not there’s a need to flex any resources anywhere, change any part of our plan,” Lawson said. “And we think that’s going to put us in a position to pivot very quickly if we need to do that.”

Officials had a simple message for sports fans looking to take SEPTA following games at the South Philly sports complex — expect to wait longer.

Following the Phillies’ afternoon game against the Washington Nationals Sunday, Sauer said there would be 20% fewer trains available.

“Normally, we would have added three or four extra trains on top of our normal complement, but that won’t happen,” Sauer said.

The situation is expected to be even worse for Eagles fans looking to take SEPTA following the Birds’ home opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 4. That game isn’t expected to end until close to midnight, causing fans to face “abnormally long” wait times.

Sauer said depending on the time of the game, SEPTA can move upward of 17,000 fans out of the sports complex in about an hour using 12 to 14 trains.

“The opener is in the evening. So when fans come out of the game on that Thursday evening, there will only be three trains on,” Sauer said. “That’s the best we’ll be able to provide.”