# Joint Committees on Transportation and Public Utilities & Public Safety 11-13-26


**Body:** Philadelphia City Council
**Date:** November 12, 2026
**Jurisdiction:** SLED

**Tags:** Transportation, Public Safety, Grants & Funding


Philadelphia City Council held a joint public hearing of its Committees on Transportation and Public Utilities and Public Safety on November 13, 2026, under Resolution 260652, examining youth safety on and around SEPTA. The School District described Safe Paths Philly at 25 schools, supported by $2,718,920 in grant funding, and additional police coverage supported by $1,194,000 in grant funding, including $500,000 remaining for current and future school years. SEPTA reported plans to install new fare gates at 13 more stations this fiscal year, alongside expanded transit-police staffing, video monitoring, and its REACH social-outreach initiative. No contract awards, vendor selections, procurement approvals, or spending votes were reported.

Testimony and discussion focused on student safety, fare enforcement, youth access to after-school activities, and alternatives to punitive responses. Students and advocates proposed more youth-oriented community spaces, trained transit ambassadors and trusted community mentors, expanded out-of-school programming, and restorative approaches to fare-card noncompliance; Children First recommended a youth advisory council and increased Parks and Recreation funding. The hearing also discussed the student fare-compliance policy and concerns about citations and fines, but no policy change or funding commitment was adopted. SEPTA cited approximately 100,000 student-card trips per school day, and a witness estimated $6 million annually to expand the student fare program, without a Council action on that proposal.

**Source:** Philadelphia City Council