To help students get to school, SEPTA is restoring several transit routes with city funds

Philadelphia plans to use city funds to restore several bus routes cut by SEPTA that are used by students to get to and from school.

City officials said Thursday night that they will use a portion of the $135 million allocated for public transit in the 2026 budget to bring back eight routes that were eliminated earlier this month and increase service on 11 others. The decision comes four days into the new school year, after the district reported additional absences and tardiness.

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Beginning Tuesday, SEPTA will restore service on bus routes 84, 88, 452, 461, 476, 478 and 484, and for Route 31 between Overbrook Park and 63rd and Market streets. Most of these routes are located in Northwest Philly, North Philly and Northeast Philly.

Also, service will be increased on bus routes 14, 20, 23, 26, 47, 63, 67, 70, and 82, as well as trolley routes T2 and T5, to reduce crowding. SEPTA will publish new schedules noting theses changes later in September. These bus routes are located in Northwest Philly, North Philly, Northeast Philly, South Philly and a couple that travel between North and South Philly. The trolley routes travel between West Philly and Center City.

"Making sure that all of our city's children and youth can get to school on time and safely is one of our top priorities," Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement. "We need our students — Philadelphia's future — to be at school learning and participating in extracurricular activities without interruption or challenges."

The impact of the cuts on students has been a particular concern since SEPTA began sounding the alarm about service cuts. Route reductions went into place Sunday — the day before the School District of Philadelphia resumed classes. According to the district, 63% of schools have had more late arrivals than usual, and 54% have had a greater increases in absences.

"We're optimistic that the restoration of priority routes will enable more students to attend school and accelerate academic achievement," Superintendent Tony Watlington said.

Last week, SEPTA said there would be additional police presence on about a dozen routes, including officers riding buses, patrolling in vehicles, watching cameras and being present at stations for student safety.

Additional cuts to Regional Rail and a 21.5% fare increase are set to take effect Tuesday.

SEPTA said the service cuts and fare increase are necessary due to its $213 million budget deficit. The transit authority and city officials have been calling on state lawmakers for funding to close the gap, but the House and Senate have yet to come to an agreement in budget negotiations.

But critics of the city's use of 2026 funding say this amounts to a temporary fix.

The 5th Square Advocacy, a political action group in Philadelphia, emphasized that these funds are an early payment of already allocated funds.

"While this action by the city may provide some short-term relief for some riders, it does not address the core underlying issue, which is the continued failure of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, specifically the Senate, to provide desperately needed sustainable, long-term funding for public transit across the Commonwealth," the group wrote.