January 18, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
With SEPTA facing millions in debt and significant reductions in service, Democrats representing the Philadelphia region in Washington, D.C., made an appeal to the Biden administration for more funding for the transit authority.
SEPTA is approaching a dire fiscal cliff this year, and some members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation want the federal government to step in. Earlier this week, six lawmakers signed a letter directed to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The letter, signed by Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey, along with four House Democrats from districts in Philadelphia and the suburbs, recapped the urgency of the matter. "We are at a critical juncture for transit in the Philadelphia region," the letter reads. "Without strong, sustained support at all levels of government, Pennsylvanians risk losing access to transit and all its benefits."
Reps. Dwight Evans, Mary Gay Scanlon, Madeleine Dean and Chrissy Houlahan were the other signees of the letter.
When the Pennsylvania state legislature cleared its budget impasse at the end of 2023, funding for SEPTA and public transit in Pennsylvania was not among the pieces of legislation passed. With state lawmakers putting the matter on the back burner, federal lawmakers are urging the Biden administration to "prioritize SEPTA and Pennsylvania’s transit systems."
The letter states SEPTA provides "more than 700,000 daily trips throughout a five county, city and suburban territory." While other transit systems in the state are approaching similar financial peril, the letter says that SEPTA would be the first one "to see draconian service cuts and significant fare increases without additional support." SEPTA faces a recurring deficit of $240 million beginning next fiscal year.
Federal funds given to SEPTA because of the COVID-19 pandemic will exhaust by April, according to SEPTA. Without additional support the transportation authority is considering 20% service cuts and 31% fare hikes in for fiscal year 2025, which starts July 1 . The letter echoes a warning from SEPTA about a death spiral, in which cuts lead to decreased ridership, leading to more fare hikes, job cuts and further service issues and project delays.
"These service cuts and fare hikes will disproportionately hurt the lowest-income riders, and the collapse of SEPTA would harm riders, businesses, tourism, and the economy at large," the letter reads.
SEPTA is grateful for effort by the local lawmakers in Washington D.C., SEPTA spokesperson Andew Busch said Thursday, and the authority remains in regular contact with Gov. Josh Shapiro and the leaders in Harrisburg about the issue.
"Without those funds, we would have to look at significant fare increases coupled with service cuts," Busch said. "We are working on the details of those plans now and will release them in the spring with our proposed operating budget."
The letter also addresses tourism, raising the question how Philly can host the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026 without a "viable transit system." Other events in the region scheduled for that year in include the MLB All-Star Game in Citizen's Bank Park, World Cup matches in Lincoln Financial Field, and the PGA Championship in Newtown Square.
On SEPTA's end, the letter mentions that the authority must "continue working to improve service, reduce waste, and combat antisocial and unsafe behavior." Since the start of 2024, there have been several incidents on SEPTA lines that required police to respond, including the fatal shooting of a teen inside the 15th Street Station last week. "Pennsylvanians deserve a world-class transit system that is efficient, fast, safe, and comprehensive," the letter reads.
