Pennsylvania House passes SEPTA funding bill

(WPHL) — The Pennsylvania House has officially passed the bill addressing the $213 million budget deficit for SEPTA.

The Pennsylvania House passed HB 1788, which would:

• Fund transit systems, plus road and bridge projects in all 67 counties.
• Invest in SEPTA to avoid service cuts.
• Set requirements for safety, efficiency, and accountability in public transit.

The bill — which includes funding for highways, too — increases aid for transit agency operations by $292 million, or about 25% more, with the lion’s share of the money going to the Philadelphia-based Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.

SEPTA set a deadline of August 14 for state funding to be allocated. If funding is not provided, drastic service cuts will begin on August 24, with a fare increase in September.

On Thursday, the agency will begin a 10-day preparation period for 20% across-the-board service cuts.

Under the plan, fares will then rise by 21.5% on Sept. 1 and, soon after, the agency will impose a hiring freeze. It will carry out another service cut on Jan. 1 that will mean that it will have eliminated half its current services, it has said.

The nation’s sixth-largest public transit system has warned that it will cut half its services by Jan. 1 and be unable to provide enhanced service for major tourist events next year. Those include FIFA World Cup matches in Philadelphia, events surrounding the celebration of the nation’s 250th birthday, Major League Baseball’s all-star game, the PGA Championship, and NCAA March Madness games.

The legislation passed in the House by 108-95 over the objection of nearly every Republican in the chamber. It has the support of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, but Republican senators have resisted increasing aid for transit.

The deadline push comes after two years of stalemate, and as transit agencies nationwide struggle with rising costs and lagging ridership.

“Northeast Philadelphia runs on SEPTA, and many communities all across the Commonwealth heavily rely on public transit,” State Representative Sean Dougherty said. “If they become reality, these service cuts will hurt real people, destroy jobs, and hurt businesses of every size, not just in my district, but in communities across all 67 counties. We are out of time! The Senate needs to get back to Harrisburg immediately and finally fund public transit, because our state’s well-being truly depends on it.”

Earlier this year, SEPTA announced that service would be reduced by 20%. To avoid service cuts and drastic fare increases, state lawmakers must approve a budget that would enable SEPTA to maintain service levels while implementing modest fare increases.

Shrinking the system involves eliminating 50 bus routes, 5 regional rail lines, and all special service and off-peak schedules, including Sports Express. SEPTA will close 66 train stations, and a 9 p.m. curfew will be enforced on all Metro and regional rail services.

SEPTA will begin the process of implementing critical tasks to make the transition.

To safely and efficiently transfer to the new schedule, SEPTA will spend the next few weeks finalizing service change plans, including staffing schedules and potential training for employees who are reassigned, reprogramming digital signage and automated announcements, updating signal and dispatch systems, and coordinating with maintenance teams to ensure vehicle availability matches the new service plan. SEPTA said more critical tasks must be completed before the switch. The process would usually take about three weeks; however, with the looming Aug. 24 deadline, they must shorten the process.