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PHILADELPHIA (June 27, 2024) – SEPTA’s Board today approved Operating and Capital Budget proposals for Fiscal Year 2025, advancing plans to fund everyday operations and major improvement projects. SEPTA’s total budget is $2.6 billion for Fiscal Year 2025 – a $1.74 billion Operating Budget and $924 million Capital Budget.

The Authority is projecting a $240 million deficit this year due to the exhaustion of federal COVID relief funding, and SEPTA’s budget assumes passage of Governor Shapiro’s statewide transit funding proposal. If fully enacted, the plan – Pennsylvania’s first transit operating increase in more than a decade – would invest an additional $283 million annually to support vital transit service across the Commonwealth, including $161 million for SEPTA.

“The budget we passed today is built for the future and invests heavily in making SEPTA safe, clean, and reliable for our customers, employees, and the communities we serve,” said SEPTA Board Chair Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. “The Governor’s transit funding plan is critical to advancing these priorities, and we continue to work with our delegation and legislative leaders to ensure that SEPTA can continue to deliver the service our region and the state need to remain competitive.”

Additional state investment, coupled with a historic increase of $24 million in local match tied to it, would help SEPTA avoid devastating service cuts and fare increases that would severely impact mobility across southeastern Pennsylvania.

The $1.74 billion Operating Budget doubles funding for safe, clean, and secure initiatives since Fiscal Year 2022, providing a total of $72 million that includes funding for 40 more police officers, 30 more safety professionals, and 100 more cleaners. The budget also continues the expansion of SEPTA Key Advantage, which now has more than 50 partners and 91,000 participants, as well as SEPTA’s Efficiency and Accountability Program, which has already realized $50.2 million in annual recurring benefits. The budget also funds increased Regional Rail service beginning this fall – restoring service to 80% of pre-COVID levels, highlighted by additional mid-day and weekend service.

Additionally, the budget reflects the reinstatement of parking fees, following four years of free parking offered to help attract customers back to the system. At Thursday’s meeting, the SEPTA Board awarded a $12.3 million contract to Flowbird America Inc. to develop a new, state-of-the-art parking system that will streamline fee collection and improve customer convenience. Beginning in Fiscal Year 2025, daily parking rates at 135 SEPTA-owned surface lots will increase to $2 from $1 and to $4 from $2 at the three garages. The fees will help offset lot maintenance and remaining funds will help fill gaps in the Operating Budget. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, parking brought in $4.7 million in annual revenue to SEPTA.

Fiscal Year 2025 Capital Budget & 12-Year Program

The $924 million Capital Budget is part of a $14 billion 12-year Capital Program, enabling the largest-ever investments in improved safety, cleanliness, and security. The proposal includes new full-length fare gates to reduce fare evasion and new cleaning equipment to support the expanded cleaning staff.

By the end of the 12-year program, all Broad Street Line, Market-Frankford Line, and Trolley trips will be through an accessible station – compared to 61% today. SEPTA continues to operate one of the oldest rail fleets in the country, and for the first time, this budget funds at least a partial replacement of each aging vehicle fleet. The Broad Street Line, Market-Frankford Line, and Trolley fleet replacements are all fully funded, while the Regional Railcar fleet replacement is partially funded.

“With funding in place, SEPTA is poised to make historic investments in the infrastructure and vehicles that make our service possible,” said SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie S. Richards. “These investments will propel SEPTA forward and help continue to grow ridership – transforming SEPTA’s legacy system into a lifestyle network that is safe, clean, modern, and accessible for all riders.”

This Capital Program advances several SEPTA Forward initiatives, including:

• Trolley Modernization: $1.98 billion for vehicle acquisition and infrastructure upgrades and a new signal system
• Market-Frankford Line Railcar Replacement: $1.2 billion for vehicle acquisition, infrastructure upgrades, and a new signal system. This procurement is supported by a recent $317 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration that is three times larger than any competitive grant that SEPTA has ever received.
• Regional Rail Fleet Replacements: $859 million to initiate the replacement of 50-year-old railcars
• Wayfinding Improvements: $40 million for signage, real-time information, and website/mobile app upgrades
• Safety, Cleanliness, Resiliency & Modernization: $5.4 billion to protect, modernize, and maintain aging legacy assets
• Accessibility for All: $1.4 billion to provide full ADA accessibility at 45 Rail Transit & Regional Rail stations over the next 12 years. By the end of this 12-year program, 100% of subway/elevated and trolley stations will be ADA accessible.

Historic Moment as Chairman Lawrence is the First African American SEPTA Board Chair & Commissioner Moskowitz the First Female Vice Chair

PHILADELPHIA (February 22, 2024) – SEPTA Board members today voted unanimously for Vice Chairman Kenneth E. Lawrence Jr. to serve as the new Board Chair, and for Chester County Commissioner Marian D. Moskowitz as Vice Chair. This is a historic moment for the SEPTA Board, as Chairman Lawrence is now the first African American Board Chair, and Commissioner Moskowitz the first female to serve as Vice Chair.

Lawrence, the former Chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, joined the SEPTA Board in September 2011, and has served as the SEPTA Board Vice Chair since February 2021. He is also a former member of the SEPTA Citizens Advisory Committee.

A well-known leader in the region, Lawrence is Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Southeastern Pennsylvania at Highmark Blue Shield. He has an established track record of serving and improving communities across the Commonwealth through roles at Temple University, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, Merck & Co., and the consulting firm he founded, Public Affairs Strategies.

Lawrence has previously served on the boards of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, Greater Valley Forge Transportation Management Association, and Schuylkill River Development Corporation.

“I am truly honored to become Chair of the SEPTA Board, and I am grateful to my fellow Board members for entrusting me to serve as Chair,” Lawrence said. “I also want to congratulate Commissioner Moskowitz on being elected Vice Chair.”

“We have a lot of work ahead of us on safety, efficiency, and cleanliness,” Lawrence added. “I am confident we can not only meet the moment, but also ensure that SEPTA is on solid ground for generations to come. As a SEPTA rider, I know how important the system is for our customers and the region.”

Commissioner Moskowitz joined the SEPTA Board in February 2022, and currently serves as Vice Chair of the Chester County Board of Commissioners. She also serves on the boards of the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority, West Chester University, Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, Chester County Economic Development Council, and Greater Valley Forge Transportation Management Association. Moskowitz recently served on Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker’s transition team.

“I am committed to working closely with Board Chair Lawrence to face the current challenges, and I am looking forward to what we can accomplish together,” said Vice Chairwoman Moskowitz. “We want to support efforts that are focused on improving safety, security, and cleanliness, and help position SEPTA to ensure it can fulfill its critical role for our region.”

“I want to congratulate Board Chair Lawrence and Vice Chair Moskowitz on their historic elections,” said SEPTA CEO and General Manager Leslie S. Richards. “Diverse leadership helps in equitable and inclusive decision-making – creating transit systems that are fair and accessible to everyone. Their dedication to public service and passion for SEPTA will take us to new heights.”

For more information about SEPTA, visit septa.org, follow @SEPTA, or download the official SEPTA app.

SEPTA is announcing the launch of its Open Data Portal – a catalog of financial, ridership, mapping, and other useful data – now available on the Authority’s website.

The portal features the new Ridership Recovery Dashboard, which shows the ridership and service levels for all of SEPTA’s modes relative to their pre-pandemic baselines.

“We are excited to share this valuable tool with our employees, riders, and community partners,” said SEPTA General Manager and CEO Leslie S. Richards. “This new portal will help foster transparency, accountability, and build trust with the communities we serve.”

The Open Data Portal supports SEPTA Forward, the Authority’s strategic plan by making data publicly available in order to unleash the potential for innovative ideas and solutions from across the region.

SEPTA is committed to growing the catalog of data over time and welcomes feedback from the public.

The Open Data Portal can be found here: planning.septa.org/open-data-portal. The Ridership Recovery Dashboard can be found here: data.septa.org.

For more information about SEPTA, visit septa.org, follow @SEPTA on Twitter, or download the official SEPTA app.