The Hub 8/22/2025: Clean Air Council’s Weekly Round-up of Transportation News
“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.
Join the Transit For All PA campaign for sustainable transit funding to keep our State moving forward.
Have a community project you want to fund and support? Check out the Public Space Enhancement Mini-Grant from Feet First Philly! Applications are due October 1st, full list of requirements and further information can be found here.
Plan Philly: Bus late during an emergency? This pilot program will help you get where you need without spending a dime – Philly residents who regularly walk, bike, carpool, or take public transit to work can enroll in the Emergency Ride Home service, a program that reimburses the cost of an alternative form of transportation in the event of an emergency or if the usual transit is unavailable. The Clean Air Council is now testing out a pilot voucher-based version of this service that will help bus riders get to where they need to go if their bus doesn’t show up. Participating residents of the Fair Acres region who regularly take SEPTA bus routes 110, 111, 114, or 117 can now activate a $50 voucher on the Uber app if their bus is seriously delayed, cancelled, or doesn’t go to where they need to get to in an emergency. For more details, see here.
NBC10: Philly unveils plan for upcoming SEPTA service cuts, fare hikes – Philly is preparing for a world without usual SEPTA services. Cuts to bus services will roll out on August 24th, the day before schools in the Philadelphia School District start classes. On September 1st, fares will increase, followed by regional rail cuts going into effect on September 2nd. City officials have urged motorists to avoid driving through Center City at rush hours; the city is preparing for an influx of traffic by readying various groups. Throughout September, residents can pay $1 a month to use Indego Bike Share with promo code “indecycle25.”
NBC10: SEPTA cuts may ‘lead to deterioration’ of Amtrak services across the Northeast – SEPTA cuts are arriving fast, and they are likely to impact other transit services. Certain SEPTA-operated commuter trains use Amtrak rails, for an annual cost of $71.1 million. If SEPTA is no longer able to provide that funding, Amtrak’s financial ability to maintain those tracks will diminish, slowing its own trains. Most impacted will be Amtrak’s Keystone Service Line, which operates between Philly and Harrisburg, and New York City.
Other Stories
BillyPenn: A week out, SEPTA cuts loom: Will they affect you?
WHYY: Ahead of SEPTA cuts, Philly tells residents to plan for extra commute times next week
6abc: Several bus routes to be eliminated, starting Sunday, in first phase of SEPTA cuts in Philadelphia
CBS News: What buses, trains is SEPTA cutting next week? What to know about cuts, new schedules, fare hikes
Pennsylvania Capital-Star: SEPTA funding crisis could affect central Pennsylvania’s Amtrak service, congressman warns
Philly Voice: Trump administration reluctantly resumes Biden-era funding to install EV chargers
