SEPTAenhancement strategy proposed by the Republican state Senate, lacks allocated funds
In a bid to enhance transparency and operational oversight, Republican state senators, including Joe Picozzi, have introduced a bill package focusing on increased accountability measures for SEPTA. These measures require SEPTA to publish performance reviews every two years detailing progress towards financial stability and use of state funds.
The legislation underscores accountability in areas such as fare evasion, safety, and cleanliness, aiming to improve rider experiences and efficiency while allowing SEPTA flexibility to experiment with improvements. However, the bills do not include new funding, a key concern as SEPTA faces a significant budget deficit and planned service cuts.
SEPTA's General Manager, Scott Sauer, supports the accountability bills if they help unlock funding negotiated in the state budget talks. Governor Josh Shapiro, on the other hand, has been vocal about the need to fund SEPTA and has proposed an additional $165 million for SEPTA in his annual budget pitch.
The funding stalemate between Pennsylvania’s governor and state Senate Republicans continues. Governor Shapiro urges the Senate GOP to approve transit funding like the state House did, but GOP senators remain reluctant without seeing more accountability measures.
Without new funding, SEPTA has announced cuts to service and fare increases starting August 24, which will impact thousands of riders. Critics argue that the accountability measures offered are redundant since SEPTA already maintains certain performance practices and is considered one of the most efficient transit systems nationally. Opponents see these proposals as a way to delay or avoid providing the new funding SEPTA needs to prevent service disruptions.
Notably, Transit for All Pennsylvania, a group advocating for public transit, is "neutral" on Picozzi's bill but notes improvements would only be possible with adequate funding. The group emphasizes that reforms need to come with investment for improvement to be possible.
The bill package also includes the establishment of minimum system performance criteria for SEPTA, including for fare evasion issues, public-private partnerships, and bus routes. If SEPTA fails to meet these criteria, it would be put on a state-required improvement plan.
Elena Eisenstadt, an intern for the Pennsylvania Legislative Correspondents' Association, reports this story. Rep. Morgan Cephas, who chairs Philadelphia’s delegation to Harrisburg, expressed excitement about Picozzi’s legislation to improve SEPTA and hopes to convince GOP colleagues to support it.
In a positive development, Governor Shapiro has repurposed $153 million in federal highway projects temporarily to help keep transit agencies from making significant service cuts at the start of 2025.
These accountability proposals are likely to be part of ongoing budget talks. Jon Geeting, a Philadelphia public transit advocate, considers the newly introduced bills a "sensible Republican set of asks" for additional public transit funding. However, without a resolution to the funding issue, SEPTA's service continuity remains at risk.
- The accountability measures in Picozzi's bill package aim to improve the ridership experience by focusing on areas like fare evasion, safety, and cleanliness.
- The legislation also includes the establishment of minimum system performance criteria for SEPTA, including for bus routes and public-private partnerships.
- SEPTA's General Manager, Scott Sauer, supports the accountability bills if they help unlock funding negotiated in the state budget talks.4.Without new funding, the transportation industry faces a challenge as SEPTA faces a significant budget deficit and planned service cuts, affecting personal-finance budgeting of thousands of riders.
- Governor Josh Shapiro has proposed an additional $165 million for SEPTA in his annual budget pitch, reflecting a concern in general-news and politics about accountability in public-transit financing.
- Ongoing policy-and-legislation discussions regarding SEPTA's funding continue to be influenced by war-and-conflicts, as the Senate GOP remains reluctant to approve transit funding without seeing more accountability measures.
