SEPTA’s crisis didn’t happen overnight. Meet the long-time advocates who’ve been fighting all along.

For years, advocates have warned about SEPTA’s future. Their fight for permanent funding continues beyond the latest capital boost.

Transit riders and community groups have been warning about SEPTA’s future for years. They’ve organized, canvassed, and pressured legislators long before last month’s headlines about cuts and fare hikes. For them, the funding crisis isn’t new – it’s the fight of a lifetime.

“We need permanent, dedicated, long-term funding for transit everywhere,” said Connor Descheemaker, statewide campaign manager for Transit For All PA!, which has been pushing for full funding measures across all 67 counties in the state since 2021.

“We’ve been organizing constantly to raise awareness about what these funding cuts would mean for riders across the state, and SEPTA has been presenting on the issue since 2022. The idea that this is new or unexpected is a farce. State legislators have had this in their faces for years … they’ve had every opportunity to act and have neglected to do so.”

Transit Forward Philadelphia, a coalition of 37 organizations including neighborhood groups, immigrant rights organizations, climate justice, disability advocacy, has advocated tirelessly for these riders since the beginning.

Stephen Bronskill, coalition manager at Transit Forward Philadelphia, says cuts to SEPTA funding will do the most harm to marginalized and low-income communities. But it will impact other people across the city, too — even those who don’t ride transit often or at all.

“It’s going to make traffic worse, it’s going to make rideshares more expensive, it’s going to make parking harder,” he said. “This impacts everyone.”

Still, Bronskill remains optimistic. “We have people getting up at 5 or 6 in the morning to talk to commuters, and I’d say 95% of people are receptive,” he said. “Many of them have different political views, but they all take the bus or train to work and agree on the importance of public transit.”

Grassroots efforts grow into citywide coalitions

“We can’t be a green city without functioning transit.”

Bob Previdi, policy director at Save the Train!

In Northwest Philadelphia, Jo Winter and her neighbors began fighting to save the Chestnut Hill West Line two and a half years ago. Back then, it was hard to build traction. “Some people thought we were just blowing smoke,” said Winter, who is the executive director of West Mount Airy Neighbors and campaign manager at Save the Train!

Now, their campaign Save the Train! has grown into a coalition of 71 organizations and 13 elected officials. “Our graphics and materials have been updated to say ‘KEEP SEPTA RUNNING’ and ‘FULL FUNDING FOR SEPTA,’” Winter said. “This is no longer just an effort to save a single train line – it’s a fight to save the entire SEPTA system.”

That hyperlocal fight made the larger problem visible. “Sometimes you need to focus on the local level to get people to care,” Winter explained. “If you draw your focus small, it helps people understand how the larger problem affects them.”

Even before the latest cuts, regional rail lines like Chestnut Hill West and connecting Germantown, Mount Airy, and Manayunk were operating with minimal service – once an hour, compared to every 30 minutes in 1995. Bob Previdi, policy director at Save the Train! says disinvestment only makes things worse: “Here in Philadelphia, we don’t have large highways to accommodate multiple lanes of traffic like New York, Dallas, or Atlanta,” he explained. “Cuts to train and bus services mean more cars on the road, and that would cost a lot of money because it would require new infrastructure. The financially responsible thing to do is to take care of SEPTA and encourage people off the roads.”

And the environmental stakes are just as high. “The question we have to ask is, ‘What does Philly want to be when it grows up?’” Previdi said. “We can’t be a green city without functioning transit.”

Getting funding back on track

SEPTA announced that it would cut service by 45% and raise fares by more than 20% in August, citing a $213 million budget deficit due to a lack of state funding and declining post-pandemic ridership numbers.

On Thursday, September 4, a judge ordered SEPTA to restore services cut last month and pump the brakes on any planned station closures and service cuts.

Yesterday, PennDOT approved SEPTA’s request for one-time use of its state capital assistance to cover operations, restoring operations on September 14th and 15th. However, a 21.5% system-wide fare increase will happen on September 14th. SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said that using the capital funds is not a long-term funding solution and will prevent the agency from investing in infrastructure and vehicle repairs.

A number of intersecting factors have led to the current SEPTA funding crisis, including the COVID-19 pandemic and a shift in commuting patterns to favor remote work. Meanwhile, Act 89, the last piece of dedicated funding legislation from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, has disappeared. Funding from the American Rescue Plan expired in 2024. And SEPTA is struggling to keep pace with rapidly increasing inflation rates.

“There’s been this big hole in state funding,” Descheemaker said. “We had ten years to prepare, and we did not.”

Fighting for the people who need transit most

For many riders, access to safe and reliable transit isn’t optional – it’s survival. Hundreds of thousands of Philadelphians and residents in the surrounding suburbs continue to rely on SEPTA to get to work, go to school, or attend sports and entertainment events across the city. 

Take riders with disabilities, mobility challenges, seniors, and early or late-night shift workers, or residents who can’t afford to buy a car. Simultaneously, the city is also planning to sunset programs like SEPTA’s Zero Fare program, which makes it possible for the most vulnerable communities to get from point A to point B. The increased rate hike of 21.5% will add another barrier to entry for Philadelphians who are already struggling to pay for transportation costs.

Even with the current short-term fix, advocates insist you can continue to shape the city’s future.

“If you have the means, ride the trains and buses even if it’s inconvenient,” said Winter. “We need to show people that ridership isn’t an issue. Call your legislators, tell them how you use SEPTA and what you need it for, and keep encouraging other people to ride.”

Advocacy groups continue to push online petitions, like Transit For All PA!, Transit Forward Philadelphia and Save the Zero Fare program.

And as Bronskill put it: “We’re going to keep fighting. I invite folks to join, share their ideas, and fight for the transit we know Philly deserves.”

Cover photo: Claudia Salvato photography