SEPTA to end remote work in September
The transit agency is ending remote work as it faces a staggering fiscal crisis.
SEPTA informed its employees Thursday that the transit agency will be ending its remote work policy this autumn.
“SEPTA is entering a new phase of growth and accountability — one that places a renewed focus on teamwork, communication, and service delivery,” read an email shared with The Inquirer from Scott A. Sauer, SEPTA’s general manager, to all of the agency’s office workers.
“To fully support this direction, and to continue strengthening our internal culture, all current telework arrangements will end effective Monday, September 15, 2025, and all employees will return to their designated work locations on a full-time, in-person basis,” the email read.
Currently SEPTA’s administrative and managerial workers are allowed one day a week of remote work, after a reduction from two telework days announced last September. There are more than 2,000 SEPTA employees who currently follow this policy.
The move comes amid a larger budget crisis as the transit agency awaits a decision from Harrisburg on funding. Pennsylvania’s 2026 budget is now more than two weeks overdue and SEPTA, which serves more than 700,000 riders daily, projects a $213 million deficit without an increase in state dollars.
As a result, the transit agency plans to implement significant service cuts starting in August and a 21.5% fare increase beginning Sept. 1.
» READ MORE: Is your bus route getting cut? The Inquirer's guide to what SEPTA's changes could mean for you.
In his email, Sauer argued that the move will get SEPTA’s office employees on transit more often and that the end of remote work will be an important symbol in the midst of the Harrisburg funding fight.
“As stewards of public transportation, we have a responsibility to actively use and support the very system we promote,” wrote Sauer. “Our presence on-site reinforces our belief in the essential role transit plays in our communities, a role that we are fighting to preserve through our ongoing state funding efforts.”
Sauer also pointed to tensions between the agency’s office employees the majority of its workforce — over 9,000 drivers, maintenance workers, and station agents — who cannot work remotely.
Mayor Cherelle L. Parker made a similar argument in favor of bringing the municipal workforce back to the office five days a week, noting that sanitation workers could not work from home.
“Many of our colleagues — operators, maintenance crews, station staff — have remained on the front lines throughout every challenge,” wrote Sauer. “Returning to the workplace is a tangible way to stand in solidarity with them and share in the collective effort.”
Sauer also argued that in-person work encourages innovation and makes it easier to collaborate, which executives across industries have long argued.
The transit agency’s elimination of remote work comes as hybrid work has been in retreat more than five years after the COVID-19 outbreak, with many business, nonprofits, and public sector leaders seeking to get employees in the office more often.
SEPTA declined to comment beyond Sauer’s email.