Philadelphia Transit Access Fund

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names and numbers may be misheard.

What: a bill by Councilmember O'Rourke amending Title 21 of the Philadelphia Code to create a Transit Access Fund, set the purposes for its appropriations and require public reporting. He described the restructured version as also requiring an annual transit access plan, published with the operating budget and five-year plan, listing city operations (including capital spending) that improve SEPTA affordability and accessibility.
Where it stands: introduced on October 22 and referred to committee. It was paired with the adopted resolution celebrating Philadelphia Zero Fare Program.
Why it matters: speakers said zero-fare coverage is funded only until next July and the fund would be a path to permanent funding.

About two dozen speakers backed the fund and zero fare, including disabled riders, Transit Forward Philadelphia volunteers, POWER Interfaith members, graduate-worker union members, nurses and students. Several cited the 21.5 percent SEPTA fare increase and the Georgetown Better Government Lab finding that participants ride more and trust government more.
One speaker argued for audits before "free" programs; another urged a data center moratorium alongside the fund.

2026-11-17 - Committee on Transportation and Public Utilities - Scheduled on the posted agenda as Bill 260892; meeting not yet held.
2026-10-22 - City Council - Bill introduced and referred to committee; heavy public comment in support.
2026-10-06 - Committee on Transportation & Public Utilities - Mentioned alongside the student fare hearing; no action.
2026-09-30 - Committee on Global Opportunities & Creative-Innovative Economy - Witnesses and public commenters urged creating the fund to make Zero Fare permanent.