At a Friday morning news conference in Philadelphia Governor Josh Shapiro announced it would redirect $153 million in federal highway funds to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).
The regional public transit agency operates bus, rapid transit, commuter rail, lithe rail and electric trolley service in and around Philadelphia’s five counties.
SEPTA is grappling with a $240 million budget shortfall and is considering planned service cuts to address the deficit.
“Just as we repair and maintain our roads and bridges in rural and suburban communities, I think we owe it to the good people of Pennsylvania who rely on mass transit to keep them and their families safe,” Shapiro said, standing at the Transportation Center in Frankfurt.
“I was in charge of the Secretary of Transportation Mike Carroll to immediately begin the process of transferring $153 million from seven highway projects in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to fund SEPTA’s needs. This money will prevent service cuts and dramatic price increases that SEPTA is considering until at least next July. This will ensure that Southeastern Pennsylvanians who use SEPTA every day will be able to get where they need to go.”
The governor also announced that each of the five counties supporting SEPTA – Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia – will also make significant investments from their local budgets.
“Thank you to these great community leaders, from the mayor to county commissioners to county councilors, they have all stepped up and shown how valuable SEPTA is to this region,” Shapiro said.
Mayor of Philadelphia Chelle Parker congratulated Shapiro for his efforts to support the region.
“We know that ‘getting things done’ isn’t a buzzword for you,” she said. “We know you do this. So I want to say on behalf of the people of Philadelphia and, frankly, the 790,000 residents of southeastern Pennsylvania who rely on SEPTA, thank you for not only the conversation, but also the walk.”
Shapiro called on the Republican-controlled state Senate to complete work on long-term, sustainable funding for mass transit.
“I know my colleagues at the capitol are aware that mass transit agencies across Pennsylvania are struggling right now. Why? When I presented my budget in February, I proposed the first major recent investment in public transport in over a decade. House of Representatives under the leadership Speaker (Joanna) McClinton and leader (Matt) Bradford and chairman (Jordan) HarrisI made sure my mass transit proposal passed the House of Representatives not once twice, but three times on a bipartisan basis. Three times.
“So making any progress, including the significant progress we have already made, requires coming together. Democrat, Republican and put the good people of Pennsylvania first. SEPTA faces significant challenges and desperately needs more funding. Without urgent support, they will be forced to dramatically raise prices and significantly cut services. I want to tell you that we cannot let this happen. We cannot allow this to happen.”
Local officials say surrounding counties will contribute about $20 million in additional funds to SEPTA. Jamila Winderchairman of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, announced Friday that Montco plans to augment SEPTA funding by 13 percent, from $8.3 million to $9.4 million.
