As Chicago-area public transit faces possible cuts next summer, it’s worth looking at the experience of Philadelphia, the first major U.S. city to go off the so-called transit"fiscal cliff.”

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, or SEPTA, cut service by 20% on Aug. 24 after running out of federal pandemic grants and failing to earn back riders to 2019 levels.

Since then, Philadelphia transit has faced two weeks of chaos, foreshadowing some potential outcomes for Chicago-area transit if Illinois lawmakers don’t pass a funding bill in the fall veto session next month to plug a multi-million budget hole.

Last week alone, a Philadelphia judge reversed the cuts, a company paid to sponsor trains to an Eagles game, and students struggled to find city buses to take to class. O

See Full Page