On Friday, the mayor of CHELELLE L. Parker formulated the planned main reduction of Sept services as devastating for the city and fiscal health of the state – but refused to provide detailed emergency plans to support residents looking for alternative alternatives, saying that he still hopes that he considers the divided legislation in Pennsylvania as a solution.
“Without a sept center is too weak,” said Parker at an unrelated press conference in the town hall, citing the importance of a transit agency and its economic contribution to the general fund in Pennsylvania.
“I am talking about a structure that will allow the economic engine, the heart of our economy in the south -eastern Pennsylvania, and thus the community of nations to continue it,” said Parker. “The economy does not work without sept.”
SEPTA has an operating deficit of $ 213 million per financial year 2026, which began on July 1. As a result, the sixth -largest transit agency plans to introduce a 20% reduction in all services and a significant tariff growth from August 24.
In his first public remarks about the upcoming cuts since the Septa financing date to apply, Parker doubled her support for the governor of Governor Josh Shapiro to finance the covered transit agency, looking for modern streams of income for you, such as taxation and regulation of skills and recreational marijana games and her hope She can take her.
“What is plan B?” Parker asked in response to the question. “We will take over the IF statements when the time comes; now we are focused on the laser to support our legislator,” she said.
But this week, legislators in Harrisburg remained in the disputed space, with the state budget seven weeks tardy and without a noticeable agreement on mass resources. The Senate controlled by Republicans on Tuesday adopted a plan to utilize the Public Transport Fund, which pays for capital projects regarding the transit system to finance SEPT for two years.
»Read more: Is there actually $ 1 billion in the septa fund? Explanation of the Public Transport Fund.
Septa objected to this middle, because, as the leaders said, it would force them to sacrifice the projects necessary for security and services to maintain the train. The General Director of SEPTA Scott Sauer said that the plan would hurt Septa, because some of the necessary projects will have to be stopped to transfer money to the operational page.
Democrats were similar in the plan, and on Wednesday the committee in a state -controlled state of the Senate controlled by a democratic state house, effectively killing the act.
»Read more: Pennsylvania is still far from the state budget after the houses are voting on transit financing and expenses
“Everything that, apart from the solution to the system and structural deficit, for me is a blurred mathematics, are tricks on a budget sheet,” said Parker, referring to the Senate’s plan.
Similarly to months, Shapiro this week met behind closed doors with the leader of most Senate Joe Pittman (R., Indiana) and the leader of most Matt Bradford (D., Montgomery) to continue budget negotiations. Shapiro on Wednesday told journalists that the leaders were not “far apart”, adding that the Senate’s proposal explained that the Chamber was “involved in financing mass transport”.
“We don’t want everyone to get into the car and go to the city center”
The press conference meant Parker’s first public performance this week in the episode during which she did not make many public events. The mayor recently published on August 8 on his social media account with the upcoming Sept crisis and visited Harrisburg in June with a diminutive fanfare.
But Parker pushed the questions about what the city is doing to prepare when he looks at the potential moment of crisis for residents who rely on Sept to get to work or take their children to school. The first day of school in Philadelphia is August 25, the day after the cuts are to enter into force.
Parker said the city had his role In June, when it has passed, in its own budget, a huge escalate in sept financing with a total value of USD 792 million in five years. Parker, who previously served as a representative of the state in Harrisburg and conducted a campaign to the mayor on the platform, which she could cooperate with legislators for the city’s interests, noted that “there is no longer” and there is no vote.
“You won’t see what they are doing in social media,” she said. “The action you see … We did it when we donated our budget.”
Michael A. Carroll, deputy managing director at the City of Transport and Infrastructure Systems Office, advised residents to utilize SEPTA TRIP Planner tool To plan a journey after the starts start. He said that the city would encourage people to utilize a bicycle city, walk as far as possible, travel and find alternative transit routes to the city if they are affected.
More tips, said Carroll, will come at the beginning of next week.
“We don’t want everyone to get into the car and go to the city center,” he said.
But Parker doubled her hope that there would be no need for unforeseen situations. She said that there was currently no suspension of the city’s work requirement due to mass transit reduction, and she was worried about chaos, which would even suggest alternative plans.
“I don’t want to think about a home health advisor who has three to five customers who are trying to see every day. Will you tell him that they have to ride a bike and cross the city of Philadelphia?” She said.
“We make every effort to prepare for it, but you know, you never want to say that I gave up. I do not throw the flag in the air, saying that it will not be done.”
