Philadelphia Could Lose Free Transit Program

The city’s upcoming budget doesn’t include the Zero Fare program, which offers free SEPTA fare to more than 24,000 residents.

2 minute read

April 9, 2025, 6:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


SEPTA Station

f11photo / Shutterstock

Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker omitted the city’s innovative free transit program from its upcoming budget, signaling a potentially abrupt end for a program that awarded free transit fare cards to over 24,000 qualifying low-income residents.

As Kea Wilson explains in Streetsblog USA, the program was the first of its kind in that it identified people who qualified based on other received benefits and sent them unlimited transit fare cards without making them go through an application process.

Of the more than 24,000 people who received that golden ticket as part of the initial two-year, $62-million pilot, the regional transit agency, SEPTA, says 64 percent are still riding today — a rate which proponents call “phenomenal” for a program that some feared would struggle to locate riders grappling with housing insecurity, or who might not believe their good fortune and just chuck their free cards in the trash.

According to Wilson, “A 2023 study showed that free transit doesn't significantly impact household earnings for low-income people, but it does ‘improve individuals’ well-being, and in particular health,’ which can have downstream economic benefits for public health systems, not to mention individuals' ability to access child care, medical care, or even simple quality time with family and friends.” Philadelphia transit advocates say extending the Zero Fare program would help improve SEPTA’s ridership and encourage other ‘choice’ riders who can afford fares but choose to drive to use transit instead.

Wednesday, April 9, 2025 in Streetsblog USA

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Wastewater pouring out from a pipe.

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage

Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

April 13, 2025 - Inside Climate News

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

6 hours ago - Diana Ionescu

Black and white photos of camp made up of small 'earthquake shacks' in Dolores Park in 1906 after the San Francisco earthquake.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees

More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

April 15, 2025 - Charles F. Bloszies

Looking out at trees on 4th Street in downtown Los Angeles, California.

LA’s Tree Emergency Goes Beyond Vandalism

After a vandal destroyed dozens of downtown LA trees, Mayor Karen Bass vowed to replace them. Days later, she slashed the city’s tree budget.

2 hours ago - Torched

White and blue Sacramento regional transit bus with one bike on front bike rack.

Sacramento Leads Nation With Bus-Mounted Bike Lane Enforcement Cameras

The city is the first to use its bus-mounted traffic enforcement system to cite drivers who park or drive in bike lanes.

3 hours ago - Streetsblog California

View of downtown Seattle with Space Needle and mountains in background

Seattle Voters Approve Social Housing Referendum

Voters approved a corporate tax to fund the city’s housing authority despite an opposition campaign funded by Amazon and Microsoft.

5 hours ago - Next City