Joined by elected officials, students, teachers, and parents
Councilmember Rue Landau and Transit Forward Philly gathered at a press conference on April 20, 2026 to urge the expansion of student transit benefits and establish universal student fare cards for all young people in Philadelphia. Joined by students, families, education advocates, and local elected officials, the group advocated ahead of this week’s City Council education budget hearing.
Councilmember Landau also plans to introduce a resolution authorizing summer hearings on student fares.
“Every young person in Philadelphia deserves the freedom to get to school, after school programs, jobs, and summer opportunities without cost as a barrier,” said Councilmember Rue Landau, “The current student fare program leaves out students and shuts off on weekends and in the summer. That’s right when students need it most. Universal student fares will open doors for every student in our city.”
“Philly students deserve the freedom of mobility just like their peers in NYC and Washington DC. With leadership from the City, the School District of Philadelphia, and state leaders, SEPTA student fare cards can go further and help connect young people in Philadelphia to opportunities across the region,” said Stephen Bronskill, Coalition Manager Transit Forward Philadelphia, “Philly students should not be held back from participating in special events this summer like the America 250 celebration because of a lack of access to transportation.”
Transit advocates are calling for an expansion of the current SEPTA student fare program to ensure that all Philadelphia students have free, reliable, all-day access to public transit. Currently, the program is limited by distance, time of day, and days of the week.
Students say that the limitations of the current system create real barriers to participating in extracurriculars, community service, summer programs, and part-time jobs.
“I have required volunteer hours for my high school to graduate, and I am only available on weekends to do them, so to complete them I am paying for SEPTA,” said Yania, a student at Walter B. Saul High School.
“Because I only live 1.4 miles from school, I can’t use the card and I have to pay for SEPTA,” said RJ, a student at Boys’ Latin of Philadelphia Charter School, “I usually ride my bike to school, but in the winter it’s too cold.”
“We as students deserve universal fares as we put so much into our schools and communities,” said Oliva, a student at Arts Academy at Benjamin Rush. “Being able to travel over the summer, weekends and after 8 pm with a universal fare takes the stress off of us and our families, including my mom.”
Advocates say universal student fares would expand opportunity for engagement outside fo the classroom, as well as increase safety for the students, and remove cost burdens for families across the city.
“Our student and his friends are limited by the restrictive hours of student passes — and this extends to a wide range of extracurricular activities,” said Wayne, the parent of a high school student.
