The impacts of the SEPTA’s service cuts took shape Monday – the first weekday with reduced subway and bus service and the first day of classes in the School District of Philadelphia.
Additional cuts and fare increases are scheduled to take effect next week unless SEPTA receives funding needed to close its $213 million budget deficit. In a news conference, officials said the city’s streets will become more congested and that public transit could become more crowded if those additional reductions are implemented.
MORE: SEPTA reveals student safety plan with service cuts set to kick in right before first day of school
The city is attempting to mitigate the problems, but commuters also are urged to avoid traveling during rush hour as much as possible, allow for extra travel time, consider off-street parking and to consider carpooling. They also advised people to use the Regional Rail system’s park-and-ride locations to travel into the Center City, though Regional Rail faces a 20% reduction in service beginning Tuesday, Sept. 2.
“We do expect increases (in traffic) next week,” said Michael Carroll, deputy managing director for the Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems. “Folks will return from vacations after Labor Day, more schools will be in attendance. … We’re maintaining our infrastructure, accelerating repairs where we see issues that may affect our transit system.”
Carroll said the city is monitoring traffic volume, tracking external factors that could reduce the efficiency of street work and looking for changes in parking patterns and travel peaks.
After lawmakers failed to pass legislation to fund the transit agency, SEPTA pushed forward with the elimination of 32 bus routes on Sunday and reduced service on buses and trains by 20%. Additional service cuts and fare increases are expected Sept. 1- 2 unless the state steps in.
Tony Watlington, superintendent for the School District of Philadelphia, suggested the service cuts had impacted student attendance Monday, pointing to a drop-off at Furness High School in South Philly.
“As we left Furness High School, Principal (Daniel) Peou told me that typically he would expect 90-plus percent of his children to be in attendance, but because of some of the transportation impacts, those numbers have dropped down to the 70s,” Watlington said. “While that’s not a promising trend, we are hopeful that this can get turned around sooner rather than later.”
The district’s attendance numbers for Monday were not available at the time of the news conference, Watlington said.
About 52,000 students ride SEPTA to get to school, Mayor Cherelle Parker said. To protect students, SEPTA Transit Police Chief Charles Lawson said Friday that the transit authority is deploying additional officers during peak travel times on approximately 12 routes. Officers will ride buses, patrol stations and watch cameras.
SEPTA had sounded the alarm about the service cuts for weeks, and set a deadline for lawmakers to come up with more funding. The transit authority’s leadership has estimated the system needs $168 million to survive and avoid most service reductions, but that was before the Sunday’s deadline passed, when SEPTA eliminated 32 bus routes and began reducing bus and subway service by 20%.
The funding issue has held up the passage of the Pennsylvania budget.
The Regional Rail cuts that would take effect next week may not be the last. Without additional funding, SEPTA officials say there will be more reductions on Jan. 1. That includes eliminating five Regional Rail lines, stopping rail service at 9 p.m. and cutting another 18 bus routes. Coupled with the reductions in place, SEPTA service would be reduced by 45% from what it was earlier this summer.
City Council members pressed state lawmakers to return to the negotiating table and pass a budget that includes support for SEPTA.
“The longer the cuts are taking place, the more significant impacts that we’re going to see taking place throughout our city,” Council President Kenyatta Johnson said at Monday’s press conference. “… We’re going to continue advocating until we get a deal done.”
Brian Pollitt, president of Transit Workers Union Local 234, said SEPTA’s service cuts will result in overcrowding on the buses. That often leads to additional frustrations, placing drivers at risk. The union represents 5,000 transit workers.
“Pennsylvania’s Republican state senators have been derelict in their duty,” Pollitt said in a statement. “The conditions facing SEPTA’s passengers and employees brought on by the lack of state funding could and should have been avoided.”
Updated schedules and trip planning tools with details on the changes can be found on SEPTA’s website.
