Gov. Josh Shapiro says "the time to act is now" as SEPTA's funding deadline looms
With just days left to secure state funding to avoid massive SEPTA service cuts and fare increases, Gov. Josh Shapiro said the time to act is now.
Shapiro was joined by Scott Sauer, the general manager of SEPTA, and several labor leaders at SEPTA headquarters on Sunday as he discussed the latest update on the status of securing state funding, as the transit agency faces a $213 million budget shortfall.
"We are past the point of short-term stopgap measures. We are past the point of a few months of fixes," Shapiro said. "It is time to have recurring long-term revenue for SEPTA and for the other mass transit agencies across Pennsylvania. The time to act is now."
Shapiro said he has been working in person and over the phone with Rep. Matt Bradford, the negotiator for the House Democrats, and Sen. Joe Pittman, the negotiator for the Senate Republicans.
"We are working cordially, we are working respectfully. We understand that there are differences and for my part, as your governor, I am working hard to narrow those differences between the House Majority Democrats and the Senate Majority Republicans to fully fund mass transit and to make sure we meet our obligations to our students, to our farmers, to our police officers, to everyone across Pennsylvania who rely on a state budget."
The funding that Shapiro, lawmakers and union leaders are fighting for is funding that will support mass transit throughout the commonwealth's 67 counties – not just in Philadelphia.
The Pennsylvania governor says that 187 days ago, he presented his state budget, which fully funded mass transit, roads and bridges. However, according to Shapiro, since then, the Senate of Pennsylvania has only been in session for 25 days.
"I have tried to offer contingencies and short-term plans over the last two years – not I've tried, I have," Shapiro said, "in an attempt to give lawmakers more time and space to find the opportunity for common ground, for a long-term solution. The time for short-term fixes is over. We need a long-term solution."
The governor pointed out that 800,000 riders depend on SEPTA every day, including 55,000 Philadelphia school students.
"Mass transit is critical to get people to work, to get students where they need to go, to get parents more time with their children," Shapiro said.
"We're now just a few days away from having to move forward with across-the-board service cuts that will impact all of SEPTA's customers and every community that SEPTA serves," Sauer said. "Everyone will feel this. I want to be clear, we do not want to make these devastating changes."
These cuts would begin to take effect on Aug. 24 — one day before School District of Philadelphia students' first day of the new school year.
"People need to move around," JoAnna McClinton, the speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, said. "They need to get their children to school. Folks have to get to the doctor's office, and SEPTA is the lifeline for so many of us."
A SEPTA spokesperson said state funding is needed by Aug. 14 to avoid these cuts and fare increases. Sauer previously explained that the authority needs 10 days to adjust to the possible schedule change — that time is used to update the SEPTA app and other feeds with the new information, as well as change digital signs, automated announcements and all bus and train marquees.
Other critical work leading up to the schedule change involves train signals, ensuring trains are routed to the right tracks at the right times, Sauer previously said in a news conference.
SEPTA previously said the proposed cuts will:
- Eliminate 32 bus routes
- Shorten 16 bus routes
- Reduce service on the 88 bus, Regional Rail and subway lines
- Cut five Regional Rail lines and the Broad-Ridge Spur subway
- Reduce all remaining services by 20%
- Add a 9 p.m. curfew on metro and Regional Rail service
- Cancel special service such as sports express trains
- Raise fares by 21.5% starting Sept. 1
The House is expected to vote on the latest bill on Monday. If approved, the state Senate would get it for initial consideration when they are back in session on Tuesday afternoon.
Still, for riders, the fear of not being able to get where they need to go remains top of mind as lawmakers get back to work.
"We, the working people, do our job every day. It's time to do your job and put working families over billionaires, prioritize all of us," Autumn Fingerhood, a SEPTA rider, said.