THE governor of the US state of Pennsylvania, Josh Shapiro, directed Mike Carroll, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), on September 8 to approve a request by Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (Septa) to use up to $US 394m in capital assistance funds for daily operations. This will enable Septa to avoid service cuts for the next two years.
This action followed a ruling by a judge in Philadelphia on September 4 that Septa must immediately reverse all rail and bus service cuts which started in August and must not implement any new cuts.
Septa announced on September 8 that it will restore full service on September 14, including the 20% cuts to metro and bus services which began on August 24. However, a 21.5% network-wide fare increase will be reinstated on September 14 which is expected to generate about $US 31m in extra revenue annually.
Shapiro says he has already taken several measures to support Septa and strengthen public transport in Pennsylvania.
“For two years in a row, the governor has proposed the first major increase in state transit funding in more than a decade, including $US 292m in new funding in his 2025-26 proposed budget that would grow to $US 1.5bn over five years,” the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania said in a statement issued on September 8.
“He also secured $US 80m in additional funding for mass transit in the 2024-25 bipartisan budget and, last November, flexed $US 153m in federal highway funds to prevent Septa from making immediate service cuts and enacting a 21% fare increase.”
However, as Carroll notes in his letter to Septa, the Pennsylvania Senate has been unable to pass a transit funding bill. Failure to do so forced Septa to initiate the service cuts.
“While Septa is already one of the most efficient transit agencies in the country, additional austerity measures such as a hiring freeze and administrative cuts have reduced the size of the deficit from $US 240m to $US 213m,” Septa says, noting that there was nothing left to cut but services.
In common with other US public transport operators, Septa has faced a budget gap due to the end of federal government Covid 19-relief funding and inflation which has increased operating costs.
