SEPTA ridership rolls toward pre-pandemic levels

Driving the news: SEPTA saw its highest ridership level last month since February 2020, averaging more than 822,000 daily rides, per new agency data.

• Overall, ridership is up 8% compared with September 2025.

Context: The rebound — across all modes of transportation — marks the seventh straight month of year-over-year ridership increases.

🚌 1 noteworthy thing: Bus ridership alone was up 14% over the same period.

• The agency says it saw strong bus ridership increases on routes that were changed as part of its bus network redesign, which rolled out this summer.

Yes, but: Ridership still trails pre-pandemic levels.

• As of September, ridership was nearly 90% of what it was before 2020, SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch tells Axios.

Between the lines: SEPTA has big plans to modernize its fleet, tracks and stations.

• However, those hopes hinge on state funding.
• Meanwhile, the agency is facing a deficit in the coming fiscal year that's projected to reach $200 million.

What they're saying: "Our focus on the fundamentals has raised our standards, and riders are noticing the difference," SEPTA general manager Scott Sauer said in a statement.