Local lawmakers are lashing out at SEPTA after the transit agency’s general manager warned that Eagles fans could face “chaotic” travel situations at the team’s Sept. 4 home opener.
SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer told a House Democratic Policy Committee Wednesday that fans trying to reach or depart Lincoln Financial Field via SEPTA should brace for disruptions. The following day, state Sens. Frank Farry (R‑Bucks), Tracy Pennycuick (R‑Montgomery), and Joe Picozzi (R‑Philadelphia) criticized what they called a self-inflicted operational crisis and blasted Sauer for failing to answer their Aug. 15 funding proposal letter.
“This is a SEPTA‑created crisis both financially and operationally, based on choices and mismanagement,” Farry said in a statement. “We remain willing to work with SEPTA to find solutions. Unfortunately, SEPTA has shown no willingness to work with us and only seems to be interested in providing information to the House Democrats.”
The trio, who have many constituents who ride SEPTA, have earnestly been trying to hammer out a deal to fund the transit agency.
The battle centers on mass-transit funding, a key unresolved issue in the state budget, which remains unpaid despite the June 30 deadline. The House is controlled by Democrats, the Senate by Republicans, and no compromise has been reached.
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s February plan included $51.4 million for SEPTA, paid for in part by legalizing recreational marijuana and taxing skill games. Neither proposal passed.
Senate Republicans instead advanced an amended version of House Bill 257, offering SEPTA approximately $168 million in operating aid for 2025–26—the same figure as the governor’s—paired with safety and accountability provisions. The funding would come from the Public Transportation Trust Fund, not tax hikes or cuts to capital projects. The plan also calls for $162 million in 2025–26 and $257 million in 2026–27 to support operations, while retaining $1.3 billion committed to capital projects.
SEPTA’s finances have drawn growing scrutiny amid a sharp decline in ridership. In January 2025, average daily ridership was 705,848 unlinked passenger trips—just 72 percent of January 2019 levels—and service runs at about 88 percent of pre‑COVID levels. As of March 2025, SEPTA’s system-wide ridership hovered around 75 percent of pre-pandemic levels; weekday bus ridership stood at 80 percent, metro at 67 percent, and regional rail at 72 percent. Those gaps have fueled debates over whether SEPTA is managing its resources effectively as fare-paying riders remain noticeably lower than before the pandemic.
In their Aug. 21 letter, the senators reiterated their funding pitch and criticized SEPTA’s priorities, accusing the agency of continuing to buy advertising at sporting events while warning fans to expect unreliable service.
“Again, showing their poor decision-making by choosing to invest into advertising rather than provide service to the commuters,” the senators wrote.
Fans, understandably, are left bracing for trouble when the Eagles take the field this fall.
SEPTA did not respond to requests for comment.