SEPTA’s “doomsday” cuts would be devastating to Philly arts and culture

It’s a perfect example of why proposed massive cuts to SEPTA would be devastating to Philly’s cultural scene, especially for organizations committed to expanding their reach and reflecting our city.

Killing public transit

Beginning this August, “doomsday” SEPTA cuts would eliminate 32 bus routes and shorten many others. Nearly 90 routes would see reduced service, including bus, Regional Rail, and trolley and subway (Metro) lines. In January, 18 more bus routes would disappear. Disabled riders face huge cuts in paratransit service alongside a 35 percent fare increase. Five regional rail lines (the Cynwyd, Chestnut Hill West, Paoli/Thorndale, Trenton, and Wilmington/Newark lines) would shutter. All Regional Rail and Metro service would end at 9pm. No more special service for sports games or concerts. And fares for these slashed services would rise 21.5 percent in September.

The Transit for All PA! coalition warns that these cuts, a proposed solution to SEPTA’s $213 billion budget deficit, would “effectively kill public transit in our region,” which in turn would do “incalculable” damage to our economy, healthcare system, traffic congestion, and air quality. SEPTA says the cuts, once made, would be “irreversible.”

The fact that we’re facing this as Philly prepares to host the FIFA World Cup, the MLB All-Star Game, and America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 would be laughable if it weren’t so dire.

Bigger than Philadelphia

There are proposals on the table that would sustain public transit in Philadelphia and other PA cities, but our Republican-controlled State Senate, including Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, isn’t on board. He claims that Pennsylvania taxpayers at large “do not realize any benefit from SEPTA.”

But per SEPTA’s estimates, the cuts will reduce property values to the tune of almost $20 billion, and lead to the loss of more than 76,000 jobs ($6 billion in potential lost earnings), adding up to an annual tax revenue loss of $674 million to our region and the state at large. Strangling Philly’s transit system will hurt businesses, students, workers, healthcare, and the cultural institutions central to our city’s identity and economy, and the damage will not stay inside the city limits.

The arts don’t stop at 9pm

That 9pm curfew for transit service particularly worries regional theaters.

“The arts don’t happen on a 9-to-5 schedule,” says Mydera Taliah Robinson, executive director of Theatre Horizon, which is a few blocks from a stop on the Manayunk/Norristown Line. Rehearsals and performances often run well past 9pm, she says. “Ending service at that hour could disconnect many artists, staff, and audiences from our venues, especially those who rely on public transit to get here and to get home safely.”

Simpatico Theatre artistic director Allison Heishman calls the 9pm curfew “a significant barrier to audience accessibility” that disproportionately hurts young and low-income patrons. Companies like Simpatico and Azuka Theatre have pay-what-you-decide ticketing models, but without nighttime transit options, “even the most affordable ticket becomes out of reach for many in our community.”

SEPTA cuts hurt companies, audiences, and workers

InterAct Theatre Company managing director Ann Garner says many ticket-buyers live in the suburbs and take the train. “If they can’t get a train in and out because service got cut, and if they can’t drive in because the roads are jammed and there’s nowhere to park, we will lose their business, and so will our neighborhood restaurants.” The kids who come to InterAct’s after-school program rely on public transit, too.

Garner says she takes SEPTA to work every day, along with almost everyone else at InterAct, including administrators, artists, and builders. As Rebecca Wright (a director and a founding member of Applied Mechanics) puts it, "Not only would these cuts mean that only people with cars can go to the theater; it means only people with cars can WORK in the theater!”

African American Museum in Philadelphia president and CEO Dr. Ashley Jordan says nearly a third of AAMP employees take SEPTA to and from work: “SEPTA provides a vital path to the museum, not just for visitors but also for our employees.”

The Ensemble Arts campus (including the Kimmel Center, the Miller, the Forrest, and the Academy of Music) needs SEPTA, too. According to Ensemble Arts and Philadelphia Orchestra CEO Crystal Brewe, these venues draw more than one million visitors annually. “With the Broad Street Line right on our doorstop, SEPTA connects our staff, volunteers, students, families, and visitors from across the region and makes it possible for everyone to participate in the city’s vibrant cultural life,” she says.

Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance president and CEO Patricia Wilson Aden calls SEPTA “a critical connector in our region’s cultural ecosystem,” and joins the leaders who note that artists, educators, and other workers rely on public transit alongside audiences.

Time to take action

Philly’s cultural scene already faces a perennially steep funding fight and now, devastating federal cuts, despite the fact that our cultural sector is a powerhouse employer that keeps many other industries humming, including hotels and restaurants. Transit cuts are another existential threat to our creative sector and our city itself.

If you care about the arts, call and write your state representatives to tell them that they must fund SEPTA. Tell your friends to do the same, especially if they live in rural or Republican districts. Get involved through coalitions like Transit for All PA!, which has a Take Action page for people across Pennsylvania.

Time is running out for us to speak up. Our Harrisburg lawmakers must approve a new budget by the end of June, and as long as they’re debating the merits of funding mass transit, Philly’s fate is in their hands.