Temple warns staff, students about potential travel problems from SEPTA cuts
The first round of cuts are expected Aug. 24, just as the university begins its fall semester, with another round in January.
Temple University in a communication to staff and students this week warned that SEPTA’s planned rollback in service could “substantially impact” the campus and they should start exploring alternative transportation options.
A 2022 survey showed that 12,000 students, faculty and staff commute to campus by SEPTA bus, Regional Rail and Metro. That’s nearly a third of the total. Temple enrolls over 30,000 students and employs about 8,000, both full and part-time.
The first round of cuts are expected Aug. 24, just as the university begins its fall semester, with another round in January.
» READ MORE: From alerting riders to changing Google Maps, here’s how SEPTA is preparing for service cuts
“Our expectation is these cuts would result in an additional 2,000 people driving to campus each day, further limiting parking on and around campus,” wrote David Marino, vice president and interim chief operating officer, and David Boardman, interim provost.
Both Regional Rail and the Broad Street subway line have stops on campus, and there are bus stops, too.
Marino and Boardman directed students and staff to explore alternative bus and rail lines near them or potential car pools with classmates and colleagues. Campus parking will become available for sale on Monday and awarded on a first-come basis, they said. Temple offers more than 5,000 parking spaces throughout its campuses.
The university is exploring ways to “help manage” the additional costs that students and staff may face, they said.
Drexel University and Community College of Philadelphia also are monitoring the situation, their spokespeople said Saturday.
“Reliable and affordable public transportation is essential for educational access, economic opportunity, and everyday life in our city. As such, we remain hopeful that state and local leaders will identify sustainable funding solutions that protect and strengthen this vital public service,” said CCP interim president Alycia Marshall.
“We will continue to keep our College community informed of developments as they unfold. In the meantime, we stand with our fellow Philadelphians in advocating for equitable transit access for all,” Marshall said.
SEPTA, which is projecting a $213 million structural deficit in its operating budget, has said without additional state funding it would have to implement cuts. State lawmakers are still working on the 2025-26 budget.
The first phase of cuts in August would entail a 20% reduction in service, including the elimination of some bus routes. In January would come more service cuts, including the elimination of the Chestnut Hill West, Paoli/Thorndale, Trenton, Wilmington/Newark and Cynwyd Regional Rail lines.
In addition, all remaining rail services would stop running at 9 p.m.
“These cuts, along with the curfew, would drastically impact the Broad Street Line, regional rail and buses for our students, faculty and staff,” Marino and Boardman wrote.
SEPTA also plans to raise its rates 21.5% on Sept. 1.