Philadelphia
As brutal service cuts and fare increases loom, Philly-area officials demand solutions for SEPTA
With House Democrats and Senate Republicans both holding a slim majority in their respective chamber, a bipartisan deal is needed to get funding back on track.
State Sen. Vincent Hughes speaks at a rally on Friday that called for funding solutions to SEPTA’s budget crisis. Harrison Cann
Pennsylvania’s largest mass transit system is in danger of reaching a terminus no one wants to arrive at.
On Thursday, SEPTA announced that it would have to implement severe cutbacks amid a $213 million shortfall this year. In response, lawmakers from around the Philadelphia region rallied outside of City Hall Friday, where they called for the state legislature to step up and fund the system.
“For years, Pennsylvania's General Assembly has starved transit systems across our commonwealth and the resources they need to effectively serve our communities,” state Sen. Nikil Saval said Friday, noting that Pennsylvania’s investment in transit per capita is the lowest in the Northeast region. “Working people need working transit.”
The proposed cuts would deal a massive blow to riders: The agency is proposing to end five regional rail lines and 56 bus routes. Additionally, the budget crunch would result in service cuts to the Broad Street and Market-Frankford subway lines, and all trolley lines. Finally, fares would rise by 21.5%, with service being reduced by 45% and all rail service ending at 9 p.m. – unless funding is approved to make up the shortfall.
“Given the dramatic impact that these measures will have on ridership, the reality is that we would start the dismantlement of public transit for our city and region as we know it today,” SEPTA interim general manager Scott Sauer said at a press conference Thursday.
Nicole Brunet, program director of the nonprofits Transit Forward Philadelphia and Transit for All PA, said the broader implications of SEPTA’s cuts would reverberate throughout the region and economy.
“We are committed to getting dedicated, reliable funding for Pennsylvania's public transit, (which is) an essential public good that grows our economy and connects Pennsylvanians,” Brunet said. “To neglect additional funding would effectively kill public transit in our region, and the ensuing damage to our riders, our economy, our health care system, our road congestion and air quality is incalculable.”
With House Democrats and Senate Republicans each holding a slim majority in their respective chambers, a bipartisan deal is needed to get SEPTA’s new funding out of the station.
In his budget proposal, unveiled earlier this year, Gov. Josh Shapiro pitched giving SEPTA $168 million in new state funding on top of additional contributions from local governments.
The Democrat-led state House has voted in favor of the sales tax shift that would fund SEPTA on three occasions, while the Republican-led state Senate has declined to take up the measure.
State Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, a Republican from Indiana County, said that he recognized the agency’s needs and recent improvements, but added that the commonwealth faces its own structural deficit.
“It is worthwhile noting that SEPTA has demonstrated a degree of progress with riders paying a fairer share and implementation of greater efficiencies. But the state cannot be left fully footing such a large transit increase,” Pittman said Thursday. “I believe SEPTA should have an appreciation for our commonwealth’s fiscal deficit and come to the table with more modest requests.”
The agency finds itself in a similar yet more precarious position than last year’s budget negotiations, when Republicans in the state Senate didn’t hop on board with SEPTA officials’ calls for a long-term funding solution.
As part of stopgap solution, Shapiro unilaterally redirected $153 million in federal highway funding toward the transit agency, a move that allowed operations to continue through the fiscal year ending in June.
Funding discussions have centered around several different revenue sources, including a proposal to regulate and tax slot machine-like skill games, which could provide funds for transportation projects, including mass transit.
Shapiro and House Democrats have said they would support such a law, but opposition from casino operators and differences over the tax rate on the devices has so far proved to be a stumbling block.
After the press conference, state Sen. Sharif Street said legislators will look at a variety of funding streams during budget negotiations – but a new transit tax may not be on the table.
“There are a number of vehicles that have been discussed which include, but are not limited to, skill games,” Street told City & State. “I don't know that there's a need to create a new tax for transit.”
Democrats and advocates in attendance called on the Senate GOP to come together for the sake of transit statewide.
Sam Schwartz, assistant general counsel of Transport Workers Union Local 234, said investing in workers and statewide public transit shouldn’t be a partisan issue.
“The Philly Democratic Socialists of America and Chamber of Commerce, the two groups who rarely agree, both back funding for SEPTA,” he said. “That’s not just unusual. That’s powerful.”
If a funding solution isn’t found, the first round of SEPTA changes would start on Aug. 24, and fare increases would hit Sept. 1, with pay-per-ride fares going from $2.50 to $2.90.