Fare hikes, service cuts days away for Bucks County SEPTA riders

🚆SEPTA has a $213 million operating budget deficit

🚆SEPTA will start to implement service cuts on Aug. 14 to take effect Aug. 24

🚆Service on the Trenton Line and five bus routes will be discontinued

SEPTA is ready to pull the trigger on 20% service cuts and a fare increase that will take effect if the Pennsylvania Legislature does not approve funding to close a $213 million budget gap.

Among the biggest cuts are the complete shutdown of service on the Trenton Line between Trenton and Philadelphia and the elimination of five bus routes serving Bucks County. The West Trenton Line, meanwhile, will operate every two hours.

It's up to the state Senate to approve a budget that includes funding for SEPTA in order to stop the cuts.  On Wednesday, SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer set a deadline of Aug. 14. By Aug. 24, staff would be cut and signs and signals would be adjusted.

"The 10 days between the deadline and the start of the new schedules is the bare minimum we need to complete the multitude of tasks required to ensure that we can safely and efficiently transition service to the new timetables," he said.

Sauer said that even if funding is approved by Aug. 24, it would take another 10 days to revert to full service.

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Across-the-board service cuts

The updated schedules have been posted in the SEPTA app. Signs are also posted at affected bus stops.

The cuts and changes:

🔴 Raise fares by 21.5% on Sept. 1

🔴 32 bus routes eliminated

🔴 16 bus routes shortened with less frequent service during midday, nights and weekdays

🔴 Service on 88 bus, regional rail and subway lines

🔴 5 regional rail lines and the Broad-Ridge Spur subway take effect Sept. 2

🔴 All remaining service cut by 20%

🔴 A 9 p.m. curfew on metro and regional rail service

🔴 Special service such as sports express trains eliminated

Bucks County service changes posted to the SEPTA website:

🔴 Trenton Line service discontinued

🔴 Lansdale/Doylestown Line service reduced to every two hours midday. Some peak and evening service will be eliminated. No service after 9 p.m.

🔴 West Trenton Line service reduced to every two hours with no service after 9 p.m. Weekend service reduced to every two hours.

🔴 Warminster Line service reduced to every two hours middays. Some peak and evening service will be eliminated. No service after 9 p.m.

🔴 127 bus between Trenton and Oxford Valley Mall discontinued with no alternatives available between Tullytown, Levittown and Trenton

🔴 128 bus between Neshminy and Oxford Valley eliminated with no alternatives available between Parx Casino, Tullytown, or Levittown.

🔴 133 bus between Frankford & Knights to Bensalem discontinued

🔴 150 bus between Parx Casino and Plymouth Meeting discontinued

🔴 Boulevard Direct  (14 and 20 buses) eliminated between Neshaminy Mall and Frankford Transit Center

There may be some political movement toward a budget. 6ABC Action News reports the Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee has called an emergency session for Wednesday afternoon.

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