“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up-to-date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.
As exciting events continue in Philadelphia, learn how you can get around to major summer 2026 events without a car, or being stuck in traffic with GoPhillyGo: Car-Free Routes Map!
Attention Lehigh Valley and Lancaster Transit Workers! Transit For All PA needs your help to improve public transit by taking these surveys. Link to the Lehigh Valley Survey and link to the Lancaster Survey.
WHYY: Pa. Gov. Shapiro signs ‘compromise’ state budget shortly after passage on Sunday – The 2026-2027 PA State Budget passed on Sunday, with Republicans and Democrats calling it a compromise. The budget comes two weeks after the state constitution-mandated deadline, late for the fifth year in a row. The $50.8 billion budget was signed by the Governor, with approval from 211 of the General Assembly’s 252 lawmakers. The budget leaves out several critical issues, such as transit, raising minimum wage, and affordable housing. Shapiro stated that there is still work to do, including addressing the lack of funding for mass transit that millions of Pennsylvanians rely on every day.
NBC Philadelphia: SEPTA is spending millions to stop fare evasion. Is it paying off? – Current fare evasion programs cost around $30 million a year, according to SEPTA. Some of the fare evasion measures include full-length gates at 10 stations, that cost around $400,000 each. The gates are intended to stop riders from jumping the turnstile. At the 10 stations with full-length gates, fare evasion has been cut in half, reducing it from one in two riders not paying to one in four. SEPTA expects the machines to pay for themselves over the next few years, and has plans to expand the fare-evasion programs at more stations over the next several years.
Philly Voice: Uber is offering free rides to older adults in West and Southwest Philly – ACHIEVEability, a Philadelphia social services organization, is running a program for older adults living in West and Southwest Philly. Codes are available for people aged 60+ for a one-time $50 voucher to access healthcare, buy groceries, or meet other critical needs. The program will run until the $10,000 budget is spent. For more information about the program, text ACHIEVEability at (215) 748-8817 or call (215) 879-6625. Clean Air Council also runs an Uber voucher program servicing the 110, 111, 114, & 117 SEPTA lines. Find more information or to register visit here.
Other Stories
The Inquirer: Here’s what’s in — and not in — Pennsylvania’s $50.8 billion state budget
NBC Philadelphia: Falls Bridge to close to cars on weekday overnights for inspection: Officials
BillyPenn: Westbound I-76 in West Philly to close at night for bridge construction
Philly Voice: Amtrak trains to run at reduced speeds due to heat wave
Mass Transit Magazine: SEPTA launches bike parking lockers at Fox Chase station
Philadelphia Today: Inside the Bitter Political Fight That Nearly Made the Ben Franklin Bridge Free
City of Philadelphia: The Streets Department of Transportation Announces Construction of New Pedestrian Refuge Islands Along Chestnut Street
