03/12/2026: Transit Advocates Celebrate Zero Fare, Municipal Key Advantage, and Increased SEPTA Funding in City Budget
PHILADELPHIA, PA
Philadelphia transit riders and advocates celebrate the release of Mayor Cherelle Parker’s FY 2027 budget. The Mayor’s plan provides needed funding for critical transit investments including the nationally recognized Zero Fare program, municipal Key Advantage, and increased resources for SEPTA. The budget announcement comes after a week of action that culminated in a rally at City Hall with state elected officials, union leaders, and community advocates from across Philadelphia calling for Zero Fare and Key Advantage to be funded in the city budget.
Transit Forward Philadelphia appreciates the leadership of Minority Whip Nicolas O’Rourke (WFP, At-Large) and contributions from leaders throughout the Philadelphia City Council for supporting these programs. Councilmember O’Rourke shared, “Our mayor made a great choice in continuing to prioritize transit access through funding Zero Fare and Key Advantage. These programs help generate the positive feedback loops that SEPTA needs, and keeps—as with so many of our constituents—affordability front of mind. I thank the Philadelphians who made it clear that transit access is, and will be, a priority in their communities.”
Gloria ‘Smooches’ Cartagena Hart, a community organizer with Kensington Corridor Trust shared, I work with families throughout the Kensington community and would love to thank Mayor Parker for supporting all Philadelphians that are living paycheck to paycheck. With Zero Fare funded, now families will not have the extra concern of how they’ll get to where they need to go.”
Julio Rodriguez, Policy Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia (BCGP) said, “BCGP is glad that mobility investments were prioritized in the budget. All Philadelphians must have freedom of mobility. The Mayor's Key Advantage and Zero Fare investment ensure that over 60,000 income-eligible community members and 13,000 employees have that opportunity. BCGP is glad to see there is level funding for Vision Zero and we look forward to working with our members and allies to advocate for increased funding through this year's budget cycle.”
Transit Forward Philadelphia Coalition Manager, Stephen Bronskill shared, “Nearly a year after a 21.5% SEPTA fare increase, transit riders should not have to balance paying for food, medical care, and bus fare. Thanks to this announcement, tens of thousands of Philadelphians living near the poverty line are breathing easier now that their Zero Fare cards will be funded through July 2027. We applaud Mayor Parker for her leadership and for listening to the voices of transit riders. Zero Fare has been called ‘America’s best low income transit program’ due to its low barriers to entry for participants. We look forward to working with members of the Philadelphia City Council to ensure that this innovative program remains fully funded through the budget process.”
Bronskill went on to share the path forward for transit advocates in Philly, “City leaders should make the Zero Fare program permanent by establishing a Transit Access Fund. This would expand access to transit for low income Philadelphians and give Zero Fare participants certainty that their rides to work and opportunities are preserved. It also makes SEPTA more affordable for everyone by making Key Advantage programs for workplaces, schools, and housing more accessible. Additionally, state elected leaders should recognize that Philly is doing its part to invest in transit and pass a state budget that includes sustainable funding for transit agencies across PA.”
Transit Forward Philadelphia is a coalition of 37 organizations supporting a safe, accessible, and sustainable transit network in the Philadelphia region. Learn more at transitforwardphilly.org.
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6/6/2025: Hundreds of Transit Advocates Flooded the Halls of Harrisburg
On June 4th, Transit for All PA! made our voice heard: we are fighting for public transit access for everyone across the Commonwealth and we won’t stop until that vision is real.
Our goals for the rally were twofold: one, to grow support for the Transit for All PA! funding solution and show that in tandem with the Governor’s transit funding proposal, it could restore service in the state’s largest economic hubs back to 2019 levels and expand it an additional 10% in every other rural and small community in PA. Our second goal was to grow our grassroots movement of transit riders, transit workers and supporters to show that transit is not just an urban issue, that public transportation operates in every single PA county, and that those communities are ready to mobilize to win. On both accounts, our Transit for All PA! Rally & Lobby Day was a resounding success.
4/16/2025: No budget without Transit!
[Image Description: A large crowd of people with signs at Philadelphia City Hall.]
No budget without transit! SEPTA announced major service cuts and fare increases beginning August 2025.
What does this mean for riders?
Catastrophic cuts to transit service included in SEPTA’s proposed budget for the next year, impacting the whole Philadelphia metro area.
In the last decade, the funding formula for public transportation has remained stagnant, even as costs for transit agencies have continued to rise. Now we are fully at a crisis point: SEPTA has announced fixed route service cuts up to 45% and fare increases of 21.5%.
This would effectively kill public transit in our region, and the ensuing damage to our riders, our economy, our healthcare system, our road congestion, and air quality is incalculable.
On April 10th, SEPTA announced the cuts they would have to make in order to operate under the proposed budget, and they will impact every rider no matter if you’re traveling from Overbrook or South Philly. If enacted, the cuts would increase fares to New York City prices with a shadow of the service that Philadelphia used to receive. And the impacts on disabled riders would be even more profound, with 40,000 paratransit trips per year no longer served by SEPTA ACCESS, and fares increased by 35%.
But transit riders and workers are ready with a response that meets the scale of the crisis.
Our statewide coalition, Transit For All PA!, is organizing thousands of riders across the state to push for a new, dedicated funding source for public transit in the state budget. From Pittsburgh to Pottstown, Erie to Philly, we all need abundant, protected public transportation. And we can win it, together!
Use our tool to email your state elected officials, Want to take your actions further? Sign up to visit your legislator, join an issue coalition focused on disability or human services, or join one of our regular committees. Our actions and tools are being updated all the time right here.
Email your representatives Join the Transit for All PA! campaign
3/6/25: What’s Next: Winning Transit That Moves Us All
Image Description: Group of people of different backgrounds with sunglasses with arms raised and signs reading “Transit For All PA!” At center is a person in a power chair with a microphone. At right, a yellow block in the shape of Pennsylvania with a red cartoon bus and the blue text “Transit For All PA! and blue text below reading “We Can Win Transit That Moves Us All!”
Thanks for joining us last Thursday to build a Platform for Visionary Transit! That call was just step one to winning funding by June 30.
Over 175 riders, advocates, and operators from across Pennsylvania signed up to share their stories, learn the background of our statewide campaign, and join the fight. Now, we need your help with research and communications, organizing in rural and suburban communities, analyzing funding solutions, and shaping our path to victory through the Spring.
2/21/2025: Transit Equity Day Recap
Earlier this month, Transit Forward Philadelphia along with the Temple University Office of Sustainability hosted the Transit Equity Day workshop to reflect Governor Shapiro’s recent budget announcement.
