SEPTA pauses "Bus Revolution" as politicians' calls for Shapiro, state legislature to fund transit grow louder
Three days after SEPTA announced potential major service cuts and fare hikes due to an impending fiscal cliff, leaders are scrambling and attempting to secure stopgap funding that could keep the agency afloat while the state legislature stays on recess until January.
Meanwhile, SEPTA has paused its "bus revolution" plan to redesign the bus network, the first time that would have been done in SEPTA history. The plan approved in May included changes like increasing frequency on some routes by 30%, reinstating the full lengths of some old routes, and extending others.
As all this is happening, the agency is in talks with members of Transport Workers Union Local 234, which represents workers on the trolleys, subways, and buses in Philadelphia. The 5,300-member union could go on strike if demands for a new contract guaranteeing pay increases are not met.
In Philadelphia City Council, Working Families Party member Nicolas O'Rourke introduced a resolution calling on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to divert or "flex" some federal funds used for highways toward the flailing transit agency.
The money in question is some of the $4 billion in federal funding PennDOT received from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
City Council's resolution urges PennDOT to "flex" the highway dollars to SEPTA's capital budget, which is used to fund forward-looking upgrades for the long term. The operations budget, or day-to-day budget, is subject to the funding crisis that SEPTA says will cause a "death spiral."
However, even though the federal money would only be able to go to SEPTA's capital budget, it would free up dollars for the agency to use on operations, the resolution claims.
The entire 17-member body sponsored the resolution.
CBS News Philadelphia reached out to Shapiro's office for a response on the resolution, but we didn't hear back by our deadline. We will update this article if we receive a response.
A spokesperson for the DVRPC did not address flexing directly but said of SEPTA's funding situation, "there are continued conversations happening among our Board and PennDOT about this issue."
DVRPC Executive Director Ariella Maron pointed to a letter the commission sent to the Pennsylvania House Transportation Committee in September calling for "funding to support robust transit service in our region" as well as "sufficient and sustainable transportation investments in our future."
The letter also pointed out two House bills, 902 and 1307, that would help counties contribute to SEPTA through funding sources like a local gas tax, cigarette tax, hotel tax or liquor tax, in addition to state funding increases.
"Southeastern Pennsylvania was developed around transit, and we have inherited a transit network that would have a staggering cost if constructed today. Our transit network has allowed the region to flourish, enabling it to generate 42% of Pennsylvania's entire economy, with 32% of its population on just 5% of its land area. This level of economic productivity and density is only possible with a robust, efficient mass transit network to move people throughout the region," the letter said.
Some in the Pennsylvania House support flexing as well. Rep. Ben Waxman, a Democrat who represents Center City and South Philadelphia, sent Shapiro a letter urging him to flex the highway funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law toward SEPTA.
"[T]ime is of the essence. I urge you to take the decisive steps necessary to protect our public transit systems, ensuring a stable, equitable future for Pennsylvania's residents and economy," Waxman wrote.
