SEPTA urges students, sports fans to plan as service cuts take effect Sunday
SEPTA is urging Philadelphia students and sports fans to plan ahead and allow for longer wait times as service cuts will take effect in the coming days.
With no state funding passed, SEPTA says it is instituting service cuts to cover a $213 million gap in its budget. The first phase of the cuts will take effect Sunday, eliminating 32 bus routes, shortening 16 and reducing service on 88 more bus, Metro and Regional Rail lines.
"One thing we can't stress enough: all riders should allow for extra time as they get used to the changes next week," SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer said.
Students and parents are urged to spend this weekend mapping out their route to school and what buses or trains will be available to take. The cuts take effect one day before the School District of Philadelphia kicks off its new year on Monday.
SEPTA ambassadors will also be present at transit hubs to help riders navigate the changed system.
"Buses, trains and trolleys are likely going to be crowded, and there are likely to be some passups, more than normal, due to vehicles at capacity," Sauer said.
Sunday will also mark the end of sports express service to the NRG station and the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.
Under normal service, SEPTA can transport 14,000-17,000 fans and move them out of the complex in about an hour, Sauer said. That would utilize about 12-14 trains.
"That will be significantly less ... when fans come out of that game on that Thursday evening, there will only be three trains on the line, and that's the best that we will be able to provide," Sauer said.
Sauer said SEPTA is hopeful that Harrisburg will come through with funding in the coming days. If something were to come through before the cuts, Sauer said they would do their best to reverse the changes they've made. But he says that gets harder as the clock ticks forward.
SEPTA Transit Police Chief Chuck Lawson says officers' schedules overlap at school dismissal time. This year, there will be a higher focus on bus and trolley routes, and they will monitor how the service cuts change traffic on certain routes.
SEPTA officials said they tried to take away pain points with the cuts and that most routes will have alternatives. But students will likely see longer wait times, more walking, or several transfers.
Presence will be increased on about 12 key routes across the city, Lawson said. That will include police officers on buses, officers patrolling by vehicle on those routes, and virtual patrol specialists checking cameras on those routes regularly.
STP also has a regular check-in call with the School District of Philadelphia police, which helps coordinate safety resources, Lawson said.
Father worried about child's ability to get to school without SEPTA
Many parents are scrambling to find alternatives for their kids, with the cuts set to take place a day before the first day of school.
"It's definitely going to affect us," said Clarence Dorsey, whose daughter goes to school in Philadelphia.
Dorsey said his daughter uses SEPTA to get to her high school, but he says her route will be impacted by the cuts.
"All this cutting. Whatever they have to do with SEPTA. It affects our child. It affects our children," he said.
Dorsey said he's worried about his daughter potentially being late to school, and that he and her mother are now considering taking her themselves.
"If that's the only route, yes, or the new way Uber, yes," he said.
The School District of Philadelphia is urging parents to plan ahead if their child is impacted by the cuts. The district is also suggesting that students carpool with friends if necessary.
What contributed to the SEPTA funding crisis
Republicans and Democrats both proposed plans to fund SEPTA, but neither of them was able to pass both chambers in Harrisburg.
Republicans in the Pennsylvania Senate wanted to draw around $300 million a year for the next two years from the Pennsylvania Transit Trust Fund.
GOP Sen. Joe Picozzi of Northeast Philadelphia claimed it would be a "bridge" to fund SEPTA for the next two years while lawmakers work on a long-term solution. Democrats said withdrawing from the fund would take funds meant for future upgrades to infrastructure.
SEPTA says it is trying to make the transition to the reduced schedules as smooth as possible for riders.