SEPTA could be raising fares and cutting routes in 2025 as funding becomes less stable.
Regional rail fares could hike twice within two months: once on Dec. 1 and again in the new year. Riders of SEPTA’s Zone 4, which includes all four stations in Delaware of Claymont, Wilmington, Churchman’s Crossing and Newark, could see their fares go up almost 30% in two months.
SEPTA says it is operating with a $240 million budget shortfall and is in talks with the Transport Workers Union Local 234 for a new labor contract. COO Scott Sauer called the hikes and cuts the beginning of a “death spiral” for the seventh-busiest transit system in the country.
“Service cuts and fare increases resulting from fewer riders lead to more service cuts and more fare increases resulting in fewer riders so, ultimately, public transit is no longer relevant,” he said in a news conference Nov. 12.
According to a release the same day, dozens of routes could be cut in 2025. Everything is on the table, so it is unclear at this point which routes will be cut or reduced. Those that remain will run less frequently.