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  • Road closures for Philly’s July 4th concert and other events are announced

    Road closures for Philly’s July 4th concert and other events are announced

    Between concerts at Independence Mall, block parties, Wawa Hoagie Day, fireworks, and a parade, Philly streets will be booked and busy in early July.

    For folks planning ahead, these are roads that will be closed as Philly celebrates the nation’s 250th with the Wawa Welcome America Festival:

    Thursday, June 25

    Starting at 8 a.m., the north traffic lane on Market Street (between Fifth and Sixth Streets) is closed to accommodate the stage buildup for the Independence National Historical Park concert.

    The north lane should reopen to traffic by 10 p.m.

    Friday, June 26

    The stage buildup continues. The north lane on Market Street (between Fifth and Sixth Streets) will be shut down once again from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

    Reservoir Drive in front of Smith Playground is also scheduled to be closed for Kidchella. Between noon and 11 p.m. the drive will be shut down to accommodate the free music festival with art stations.

    Saturday, June 27

    Starting at 6 a.m., three roads will close for Concilio’s Hispanic Fiesta:

    • The Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 16th Street to 17th Street
    • Arch Street between 15th and 16th Streets
    • 16th Street from John F. Kennedy Boulevard to Arch Street

    All streets are expected to reopen at midnight.

    Sunday, June 28

    Market Street and its north sidewalk (from Fifth to Sixth Streets) are scheduled to be closed from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the gospel concert at Independence Hall.

    The north traffic lane on Market Street will also be shut down for the concert between 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

    Tuesday, June 30

    The inner lanes of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 20th Street to Binswanger Triangle will close starting at 6 a.m. in preparation for the One Philly: Unity Concert for America July 4th concert and fireworks. Closures will remain in place through Monday at 6 a.m.

    Wednesday, July 1

    Wednesday brings six street shutdowns, some as early as 5 a.m., for the Wawa Hoagie Day (free hoagies at noon) and U.S. Air Force Heritage Band:

    Closing from 5 a.m. to 6 p.m.

    • Arch Street from Fourth to Sixth Streets
    • Fifth Street between Market and Race Streets
    • Sixth Street from Market Street to Race Street

    Closing from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

    • Market Street north traffic lane from Fifth to Sixth Streets
    • Market Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets

    Closing between 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

    • North sidewalk on Market Street from Fifth to Sixth Streets

    Thursday, July 2

    Two days before the 250th, road closures are ramping up for the Red, White, and Blue To Do celebration, the All American Block Party, and the Salute to Service: United States Army Field Band and Soldiers Chorus.

    Closing between 5 a.m. to 11 p.m.

    • Arch Street from Fourth to Sixth Streets

    Closing between 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

    • Third Street between Chestnut and Walnut Streets
    • Dock Street between Third and Walnut Streets
    • Walnut Street between Second and Third Streets

    Closing between 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

    • Market Street north traffic lane from Fifth to Sixth Streets

    Closing between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

    • Walnut Street from Second to Fourth Streets

    Closed between 11 a.m. until the parade ends or passes

    • Chestnut Street between Second and Fifth Streets
    • Market Street at Fifth Street
    • Chestnut Street at Fifth Street closure starts at 11:15 a.m.

    Closing between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.

    • Market Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets
    • Sixth Street between Arch and Market Streets
    • Market Street north sidewalk from Fifth to Sixth Streets

    Closing July 2 and July 3

    • Fifth Street from Race Street to Chestnut Street is closed from July 2 at noon to July 3 at 5 p.m.

    Friday, July 3

    With the Salute to Independence Parade the Philly Pops concert at Independence Mall, and the Parkway concert and fireworks, Friday brings more road closures. Expect some streets to close as early as 4 a.m.

    Closing between 4 a.m. to 1 p.m.

    Three streets will be closed between Spruce and Arch Streets:

    • Third Street
    • Fourth Street
    • Fifth Street

    Closing between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.

    • Market Street from Fifth to Sixth Streets

    Closing from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. on Monday

    • 1900 block of Race Street 
    • 1800-1900 Vine Street 
    • I-676 off-ramp at 22nd Street 
    • I-676 on-ramp at 22nd Street 
    • I-76 eastbound off-famp at Spring Garden Street 
    • Spring Garden Tunnel 
    • Park Towne Place between 22nd and 24th Streets 
    • 20th Street between Arch Street and Pennsylvania Avenue 
    • 19th Street between Callowhill and Cherry Streets 
    • Benjamin Franklin Parkway from 17th Street to Eakins Oval (all lanes) 
    • Eakins Oval (all lanes) 
    • Kelly Drive between Eakins Oval and Fairmount Avenue (Kelly Drive inbound closed at Fountain Green Drive beginning at about 5 p.m.) 
    • Rear of Art Museum – Anne d’Harnoncourt Drive 
    • 2000-2100 Winter Street 
    • MLK Drive from Falls Bridge to Eakins Oval 
    • Spring Garden Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and 31st Street 
    • 23rd Street between Pennsylvania Avenue and Eakins Oval 
    • 22nd Street between Winter Street and Pennsylvania Avenue 
    • 21st Street between Winter Street and Pennsylvania Avenue 
    • All roads from Arch Street to Spring Garden Street, 18th to 22nd Streets (local access maintained for residents) 
    • All roads from Arch Street to Fairmount Avenue, 22nd to Corinthian Streets (local access maintained for residents) 
    • 16th and 17th Streets, between Arch and Spring Garden Streets will be closed only if conditions warrant in the interest of public safety 
    • 1600-1700 Benjamin Franklin Parkway will be closed only if conditions warrant in the interest of public safety 

    Closing from 11:30 a.m. until the parade ends

    • Market Street from Sixth to 17th Streets
    • Seventh Street between Arch and Walnut Streets
    • Eighth Street between Arch Street and Walnut Streets
    • Ninth Street between Arch and Walnut Streets
    • 10th Street between Arch and Walnut Streets
    • 11th Street between Arch and Walnut Streets
    • 12th Street between Arch and Walnut Streets
    • 13th Street between Arch and Walnut Streets
    • John F. Kennedy Boulevard between Juniper and 17th Streets
    • North Broad Street between John F. Kennedy Boulevard and Arch Street
    • 15th Street between Cherry and Chestnut Streets
    • Benjamin Franklin Parkway between Arch and 20th Streets
    • 16th Street between Cherry and Chestnut Streets
    • 17th Street between Race and Arch Streets
    • 18th Street between Vine and Cherry Streets
    • 19th Street between Vine and Cherry Streets
    • 20th Street between Vine and Race Streets
    • Chestnut Street between 11th and 16th Streets

    Closing between 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.

    • Sixth Street from Market to Race Streets
    • North sidewalk on Market Street from Fifth to Sixth Streets

    Saturday, July 4

    Sealing the 250th festivities, the Celebration of Freedom Ceremony brings few more road closures. Closures related to the Parkway concert and fireworks continue.

    Closing between 8 a.m. to noon

    • Market Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets
    • Market Street north sidewalk from Fifth to Sixth Streets

    Closing between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. on Sunday, July 5

    • Kelly Drive from Fairmount Avenue to Fountain Green Drive 
    • Waterworks Drive 
  • Could a Pa. Supreme Court decision on skill games help fund SEPTA?

    Could a Pa. Supreme Court decision on skill games help fund SEPTA?

    More funding for SEPTA and dozens of financially strained mass transit systems across Pennsylvania has been on the back burner in this year’s budget debate, but it may get some more attention now.

    The Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled June 15 that tens of thousands of the so-called skill games in bars and convenience stores are in fact slot machines — and illegal unless licensed, regulated, and taxed like casino-based slots.

    “By dedicating a portion of skill game revenue to transportation, we can protect and strengthen transit services without placing additional burdens on taxpayers, while ensuring our transit agencies have the resources they need,” Republican State Sen. Frank Farry of Bucks County said Friday in a statement.

    Transit advocates renewed what has become an annual public push for more money for SEPTA and fellow transit agencies at a news conference in front of the Fifth Street/Independence Hall Station — prompted in part by the court decision.

    Farry issued the statement in support of that effort.

    “I have the freedom to be able to come here, thanks to this elevator behind us, which was recently renovated,“ said Julie Rea, an organizing fellow for Transit Forward Philadelphia who uses a wheelchair and depends on the Market-Frankford El (now called the L).

    “Without the long-term funding that SEPTA really needs, we’re not going to be able to keep the system accessible for all,” she said.

    Last year, lawmakers and Gov. Josh Shapiro failed for a third time to reach agreement on his proposal to dedicate an increased portion of general sales tax revenue to consistently fund transit agency operations for five years.

    Republicans, who control the Senate, did not want to take more sales tax revenue for transit, and the Democrats in charge of the House did not want to take up the GOP leadership’s counterproposal to use state money for infrastructure projects for operations instead.

    Farry offered legislation in 2024 to regulate and tax skill games and dedicate 50% of the revenue to create a stable source of funding for public transit. The most optimistic assessments are that taxes on the games at or near the rate casinos must pay for their slots could generate up to $1 billion a year.

    Taxing skill games has been discussed in budget deliberations for several years, though it never came together, in part because of differences of opinion in the GOP Senate caucus.

    “Maybe the court decision will spur people to get their act together,” Farry, who is up for reelection in the fall, said in an interview. “We have a pathway.”

    Shapiro has proposed taxing skill games at 52%, the same rate casinos pay for slot machine proceeds. Last year, the Senate GOP proposed a tax rate of 35% on the machines.

    When a transit funding deal failed to come together in 2025, SEPTA raised fares and slashed service, eliminating 32 bus routes outright, until a Philadelphia court ordered it to restore cuts in service.

    Shapiro then allowed SEPTA to use $394 million of reserved capital money in a state trust fund to pay to operate the transit system for two years; ironically, that was the same maneuver behind the GOP’s proposal.

    Meanwhile, this year, paratransit and shared-ride services are in trouble throughout the state and transit systems in Lancaster, Westmoreland County, and the Lehigh Valley are considering service cuts.

    “We know that the rural-urban divide is manufactured, and that a public good, like transit, touches us all,” said Connor Descheemaker, statewide campaign manager for Transit for All PA.

  • Speed cameras on Frankford Avenue will begin issuing fines

    Speed cameras on Frankford Avenue will begin issuing fines

    Starting Friday, drivers traveling 36 mph or faster on Frankford Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia will face a minimum $100 fine.

    Ten new speed-enforcement cameras were activated on April 13, initiating a 60-day warning period which brought mailed warnings to violators of the road’s 25 mph speed limit.

    “Speed cameras are a tremendous tool that helps save lives,” said Gabe Roberts, acting executive director of the Philadelphia Parking Authority, in an emailed statement.

    There are three tiers of penalties for speeding on the 4.5-mile stretch of U.S. Route 13 that are now going into effect.

    Fines are $100 for traveling 11-19 mph over the speed limit; $125 for going 20-29 mph over; and $150 for speeding by 30 or more mph.

    Tickets are mailed to the registered owner of the vehicle speeding. No points — PennDOT’s method of recording driving violations — are added to the motorist’s driver’s license.

    The cameras are placed at 9900 Frankford Ave.; 8300 Frankford Ave.; 7000 Frankford Ave.; 6400 Frankford Ave.; 3100 Levick St.; and 2100 Robbins St.

    Automated speed enforcement cameras went live Monday April 13 on the portion of U.S. Route 13 shown in green. Philadelphia Parking Authority will install cameras on the rest of the corridor in July 2026.

    Speed-enforcement cameras were first piloted in Philadelphia on Roosevelt Boulevard in June 2020, with 32 automated cameras placed along the highway previously considered the most dangerous road in the city.

    According to the Philadelphia Parking Authority, speed violations have since decreased on the boulevard by more than 90%, and there has been a 50% reduction in pedestrian-involved crashes.

    There are now a total of 80 speed cameras operating throughout the city, with additional cameras installed on Broad Street and nearby five school zone locations.

  • City officials plan to revamp Market Street from Sixth Street to City Hall

    City officials plan to revamp Market Street from Sixth Street to City Hall

    Philadelphia officials are planning a major renovation of Market Street’s sidewalks, landscaping, and streetscapes, from Sixth Street toward City Hall.

    The announcement of a $2.5 million federal grant to begin the planning and design comes on the heels of the recently completed renovation of the thoroughfare in Old City from Second to Sixth streets. That effort took 18 months of construction and $16 million.

    After 18 months and traffic snarls, Market Street improvements in Old City are complete

    The stretch to City Hall poses more logistical problems and could prove a heavier lift because of its dense use.

    The planned revamp is part of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s pledge to revitalize the Market East corridor.

    Most recently, the row of storefronts on the 900 block of Market owned by Comcast and Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment have begun hosting small pop-up businesses for the summer, as the city celebrates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

    The Department of Planning and Development is overseeing the revitalization, and the public-private Market East Corridor Advisory Group is helping to craft a vision.

    The new $2.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which the city will match, is limited to planning the streetscape along Market Street between 6th and Juniper Streets.

    Construction is years away, said Kelley Yemen, Philadelphia’s director of the Office of Multimodal Planning. Her office is gathering information to evaluate everything from traffic patterns to potential road diets and bike lanes.

    “Everything’s on the table at this point,” Yemen said.

    Safety remains a primary driver, she said, given that the section of Market Street is situated on the city’s “high-injury network.”

    However, she said redesigning the corridor poses unique logistical challenges compared with the recent improvements in Old City.

    Market East serves as a major commercial hub with heavy transit use, requiring planners to balance the needs of transit riders, pedestrians, and cyclists.

    Additionally, the shallow depth of the underground subway system may constrain surface-level landscaping.

    Yemen explained that any trees or plantings must account for the height of the subway ceiling, potentially leading to elevated planters rather than vegetation that’s rooted in the ground.

    The city is working with the consulting firm WSP and a team of subconsultants to develop design options.

    Yemen anticipates the design will take two to three years, as the city also has to navigate federal environmental reviews.

    Though the planning phase is now paid for, the city does not yet have money to fund construction and will likely look to federal or state grants for help in the future.

    Public involvement will be a key next step, she said.

    The planning commission is expected to launch a broader public engagement push this July to gather community input on the larger Market East revival.

  • SEPTA approved contracts with the transit police union and other workers

    SEPTA approved contracts with the transit police union and other workers

    The SEPTA board on Thursday approved new labor contracts with the Fraternal Order of Transit Police Lodge 109 and three unions representing workers in the Regional Rail Division.

    Transit police officers had threatened earlier this month to walk off the job while Philadelphia was hosting World Cup soccer matches, Major League Baseball’s All-Star week and events celebrating the 250th birthday of the U.S.

    Lodge 109 and SEPTA agreed on a three-year deal that gives the officers a 12% raise over the life of the contract, as well as a $2,500 signing bonus, longevity bonuses, and an increase in differential pay for evening and overnight shifts.

    Union members ratified the contract last week.

    Omari Bervine, president of Lodge 109, said the agreement was “fair to the hardworking men and women of the transit police” and thanked SEPTA General Manager Scott A. Sauer for helping restart negotiations.

    The transit police union represents 203 patrol officers who protect the regional agency’s transit and commuter rail networks, trolleys, buses and property, including stations and transportation hubs.

    “Historic reductions in crime over the last two years have come amid an unprecedented effort to bolster our transit police,” Sauer said at the board meeting. “Staffing is at its highest level in more than a decade.”

    Fifteen new officers joined the force this month after graduating from the police academy, and 18 cadets are scheduled to start their studies next month, SEPTA says.

    Officers had been working without a contract since March 31.

    The new agreement is retroactive to April 1 and runs through March 31, 2029.

    Lodge 109 members will receive a 5% increase in their hourly rates Sunday, with 3½% raises in June of each of the following two years. Longevity bonuses will range from $2,901 for officers with three years of experience, up to $9,552 for those who have 25 years or more of service.

    SEPTA’s board also approved new two-year contracts with the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers that together represent about 145 rail vehicle mechanics, welders, millwrights and maintenance custodians working on Regional Rail.

    The board also ratified a new contract with the Transportation Communications Union, which represents 76 Regional Rail clerical staff.

    Each deal with the three Regional Rail unions is for two years and gives workers raises totaling 7%, the same as the contract reached last year with the Transport Workers Union Local 234, SEPTA’s largest.

  • Authorities ID 3 people killed in Maryland crash of plane from Ocean City, N.J.

    Authorities ID 3 people killed in Maryland crash of plane from Ocean City, N.J.

    Maryland State Police on Monday released the names of three young men killed when a plane that took off from Ocean City, N.J. crashed late Saturday night east of Washington D.C.

    Around 11:30 p.m. Saturday, a single-engine Piper Cherokee piloted by Yoav Bomrind, 26, of Israel, with two passengers, David Rabinovich, 19, or Israel, and Elad Naidik, 20, of Canada, crashed in a wooded area in Bowie, Md.

    Maryland State Police said Prince George’s County Public Safety Communications received an iPhone crash alert around 11:45 p.m. indicating the plane went down in the area of U.S. Routes 50 and 301 in Bowie.

    The plane was headed to the Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., approximately 20 miles northwest of Bowie, apparently as part of a training flight, the state police said.

    Based on preliminary information, investigators believe the plane was owned by a flight school in Montgomery County, Maryland, the state police said.

    Multiple agencies responded to the crash area and the plane was located around 3:45 a.m. Sunday near a residential neighborhood. All three men were pronounced dead at the scene.

    No one else was injured, the state police said.

    The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

  • Pennsylvania and N.J. Turnpikes choose a design for a new $1.6 billion Delaware River bridge

    Pennsylvania and N.J. Turnpikes choose a design for a new $1.6 billion Delaware River bridge

    Officials of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Turnpikes have chosen a design to replace the 70-year-old bridge over the Delaware River linking the toll roads: a six-lane span that would be built about 195 feet north of the existing one.

    Called a ”tied-arch” bridge, the $1.6 billion replacement would be cheaper than other styles considered and can be built fastest, said John Boyer, senior engineer for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.

    “Shorter time frames mean less disruption to local businesses and daily life for the communities in this area,” said Boyer, the manager of the joint project.

    Because the new bridge would be farther from the existing Delaware River Bridge than alternatives, traffic can keep flowing as it’s built, he said.

    Planners for years have known that the region would need a new turnpike bridge because of exponential growth in traffic volume, especially trucks.

    Freight volumes nationally are projected to grow by 73% by 2050, with warehouses on both sides of the river relying on crossing.

    Before the nearby I-95/Pennsylvania Turnpike interchange opened in 2018, an average of 42,000 vehicles a day crossed the four-lane Delaware River Bridge. Now, that’s up to around 70,000. By 2050, projections say an average 93,000 vehicles will need to traverse the replacement.

    The surface of a tied-arch bridge provides tension to resist the horizontal forces pressing on either end of the arch, like the taut string that connects a bow. It requires less sturdy foundations than a bridge supported by cables.

    “You can be build those river piers while you’re building the arch structure off-site,” Boyer said. When the piers are ready, the arch can be brought in by barge and “you can essentially jack it and elevate it up into place,” he said.

    Federal authorities approved a new span in 2003, but the project was put on hold because of problems paying for it.

    In 2017, a crack was discovered in a truss supporting the existing bridge’s roadway, and it was closed for about two months.

    As congestion increased on the repaired bridge, more traffic capacity became imperative, officials said.

    Because the earlier federal approval was so old, officials had to start again with a new environmental impact statement and design studies. Last year, turnpike officials settled on two options.

    Now, they’re finishing up the environmental impact statement, with formal public hearings scheduled for the winter.

    Turnpike officials expect the Federal Highway Administration to make a decision on the project around April 2028.

    In March, Pennsylvania’s U.S. senators announced a $600 million federal grant for construction of the new bridge connecting Bristol, Pa., and Florence, N.J. New Jersey’s congressional delegation also worked on getting the grant.

    The two states’ turnpike agencies will finance the balance. Borrowing would be backed by toll revenue, but both say the bridge project won’t increase tolls for drivers.

  • Philadelphia is shrinking the rideshare virtual border around FIFA Fan Festival

    Philadelphia is shrinking the rideshare virtual border around FIFA Fan Festival

    The city is rolling back its geofence border around the FIFA Fan Festival to reduce the number of residential areas blocked from using rideshare.

    The Philadelphia Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems (OTIS) announced Thursday that it would shrink the geofence to exclude large residential buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue.

    The geofence, which blocks people within its borders from using rideshare services like Uber and Lyft, will now shrink to the south of Aspen Street, about half a block from its original border at 25th and Meredith Streets.

    “We’re continuing to work with the community, elected officials, and operational partners to improve the experience for everyone, including residents impacted by Lemon Hill festivities,” an OTIS spokesperson said.

    Additionally, four blocks in Fairmount had been designated for rideshare pickups and drop-offs, but OTIS is reducing rideshare zones to two, allowing for more parking for permitted residents.

    The rideshare pickup/drop-off zones are now located only near Eastern State Penitentiary, at 23rd Street and Fairmount Avenue, and the 2200 block of Fairmount Avenue.

    This was well-received news for residents who live in the area and have been concerned about the geofence’s restriction on residents with mobility issues.

    Paul Stewart, an 86-year-old resident who lives in one of the large apartment buildings that initially had been geofenced, relies on Uber to visit his doctor at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. But last week, when he planned to head to an appointment, he found he could not call a rideshare.

    “The geofence that includes my building and all the businesses in the immediate area will continue for 39 days,” Stewart said before the geofence rollback. “Many people take Uber to and from the restaurants and bars in this neighborhood so that they can have a few drinks and not worry about driving drunk.”

    Geofencing these large residential buildings and blocks was hindering everyday life, Stewart said. Now, he said, residents will be able to go about their business as they normally would.

    The geofence reduction is just one of the adjustments the city has been making as it manages the traffic and fans around the FIFA Fan Festival in Lemon Hill. Since at least May, residents have been requesting traffic-calming measures on residential blocks. The Philadelphia Parking Authority and OTIS installed additional barricades and signage last week.

  • TSA closes Terminal C checkpoint at PHL Airport due to staffing shortages

    TSA closes Terminal C checkpoint at PHL Airport due to staffing shortages

    The Transportation Security Administration temporarily closed the Terminal C security checkpoint at Philadelphia International Airport on Thursday morning.

    “Due to staffing constraints related to the government shutdown, the TSA, in collaboration with the airport, is temporarily closing the Terminal C checkpoint,” said PHL spokesperson Heather Redfern.

    All other security checkpoints remain open, and TSA PreCheck passengers can use the designated lanes at the Terminal A-East and D/E checkpoints. There is no timeline for when Terminal C will be back up and running.

    “We encourage you to check the MyTSA app or the airport’s website to find current wait times and to arrive early to the airport,” said an American Airlines spokesperson. “We are grateful for our federal partners at TSA who continue to ensure safe travel for our customers.”

    The scene at the TSA checkpoint line in Terminal B at Philadelphia International Airport on Sunday morning, Nov. 9, 2025.

    The TSA is experiencing a lapse in funding, alongside other Department of Homeland Security agencies, because its budget has not been passed by Congress.

    In January, federal lawmakers narrowly avoided another full government shutdown by approving budgets for all federal agencies except the Department of Homeland Security. Republicans and President Donald Trump agreed to carve out the DHS budget for further negotiations as Democrats want to put more guardrails on federal immigration enforcement.

    There have been a couple of attempts at passing the DHS budget, but neither side has budged on its demands. The only Senate Democrat to support funding DHS is Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman.

    At this point, there is no end in sight to the DHS shutdown and, by proxy, the lapse in TSA funding that is leading to staff shortages across the country, including Philadelphia’s airport.

  • City funding is unclear for Zero Fare program giving SEPTA passes to low-income Philadelphians

    City funding is unclear for Zero Fare program giving SEPTA passes to low-income Philadelphians

    Just days before the release of Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s city budget, it is unclear whether it will include money to continue Zero Fare, a program that gives free transit passes to low-income Philadelphians.

    Transit advocates and political leaders say they have not heard from the administration on the issue and are concerned it may be cut or have its funding reduced.

    A rally is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday on the north apron of City Hall to push for Zero Fare’s survival — and for city government to continue participating in SEPTA’s Key Advantage, which provides free transit passes for municipal workers.

    Parker is scheduled to deliver her annual budget address next Thursday to a session of City Council.

    A spokesperson for the administration declined to comment.

    “We don’t care who gets the credit,” said Stephen Bronskill, coalition manager for Transit Forward Philadelphia, a nonprofit that advocates for public transportation that is organizing the event. “We want to see that this program gets funded … so people can get where they need to go.”

    City Council members, state lawmakers, activists for transit funding and service, and users of the Zero Fare passes are expected to speak Friday.

    Zero Fare, which serves about 60,000 eligible people with incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty standard, would end June 30 unless the fiscal 2026-27 budget funds it.

    Officials also must decide whether to fund Key Advantage benefits for city workers, though SEPTA’s program provides subsidized passes free to the employees of nonprofit organizations and private businesses.

    Deja vu?

    Both programs have faced city budget uncertainty in the past.

    Last year, Parker’s budget would have eliminated funding for Zero Fare, launched in 2023 as a two-year pilot program. Money was included after public backlash, including a rare commentary from former Mayor Jim Kenney, as City Council was considering the budget.

    City officials said they had begun meeting with SEPTA to find a funding solution to continue both programs before the uproar. The administration also continued Key Advantage last year.

    “From our standpoint, they’ve both worked well, and we’d like to see them continue,” SEPTA spokesperson Andrew Busch said Thursday.

    A path forward

    Zero Fare began as a pilot, started by Kenney using $30 million of federal COVID relief money to get it off the ground. The program was nationally recognized because it proactively sent transit fare cards to Philadelphians eligible for the benefit.

    Automatic enrollment eliminated the red tape “time tax” for people who wanted to use the benefit, making it unusual on the local level, according to public policy analysts.

    .

    Councilmember Nicolas O’Rourke, who helped lead the effort to restore Zero Fare funding last year, has said he plans to push his proposed City Charter amendment to mandate 0.5% of the city budget each year be dedicated to the initiative.

    The amendment would generate about $34 million in the 2026-27 budget for Zero Fare, O’Rourke estimated last year. Enshrining it in the charter, which functions as a kind of municipal constitution, would put the program on solid ground, he said.

    “It can’t be yanked away at a moment’s notice when somebody wants to shift something around in the budget,” O’Rourke said last November at a community meeting on the proposal.

    This story has been updated to remove an outdated figure for the number of participants in Zero Fare.