Septa's mass transit cuts foreshadow possible similar moves by other agencies across US

Commuters and students in Philadelphia woke up earlier than usual on Monday to navigate service reductions that the region's public transit agency has called more drastic than any undertaken by a central transit agency in the United States.

- by Marc Levy Associated Press

The cuts took effect as the school year began in the nation’s sixth-most populous city and could herald similar moves by major transit agencies around the U.S. as they struggle with rising costs and lagging ridership. Reductions are also on the table at transit agencies in Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, and Pittsburgh.

In many places, funding has not kept pace with inflation, while ridership remains below pre-pandemic levels, as many people's routines were disrupted by COVID-19.

Some 52,000 public school students in Philadelphia use public transit to get to school. Students and commuters discussed the need to get up much earlier to accommodate longer commutes, unusually crowded buses, and skipped stops.

Zairean Wills, a sophomore at Roxborough High School, told The Philadelphia Inquirer that she woke up at 6 am, an hour earlier than usual, because of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority cuts.

“It’s fine because I get more time with my friends, but it sucks that I have to wake up earlier for no reason,” Wills said while waiting in a line of kids at Wissahickon Transportation Center.