Transit Riders Denounce Senate Republicans for Passing a Bill that Would Deepen Transit Crisis
Today, the PA Senate leadership approved a bill that raids the capital budget of the Public Transportation Trust Fund – which is already woefully underfunded for current transit maintenance and capital needs – and diverts that funding to both roads and bridges and transit operations.
The Transit for All PA coalition denounces this transparent, rushed and cynical effort by Senate Republicans to feign action and run down the clock to service cuts. Today marks 43 days since the budget deadline and only 2 days before SEPTA’s cuts are locked in; we see how the Senate majority party has failed to act in good faith and instead remained in recess until this 11th hour, only now producing this appalling legislation.
Rather than solving the transit funding crisis through the many reasonable funding proposals passed through the PA House, Senate Republicans instead passed a bill today that would make public transit substantially worse. Their bill would not generate new state revenue to ensure that our agencies maintain the service that riders rely on, but would make our transit systems more insolvent by taking $419 million over two years from the existing Public Transportation Trust Fund to fund roads and bridges instead.
We need transit capital funding as much as we need transit operating funding; that is why the Public Transportation Trust Fund provides both. By cannibalizing transit capital funding for transit operations, riders will face unreliable service from equipment malfunction, lack of available vehicles, and accessibility outages. SEPTA, Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) and other agencies across the Commonwealth already have billions of dollars worth of deferred maintenance needs, and this funding theft will put further out of reach station accessibility upgrades, SEPTA Trolley Modernization, the new bus networks, and the very fare gate improvements PA Senate Republican leadership claims to desire.
The Senate bill additionally requires an increased local government 5% match for state transit funding without enabling local capital or operating revenue options to raise those funds. This strains the ability of municipalities to even access the funds that the state should provide to support transit.
Finally, this bill mandates a fare increase every two years tied to inflation, regardless of the current fare pricing structure of each agency or the capacity of riders to afford those fare increases. Increasing fares decreases ridership, so any revenue benefit from increased fare costs could likely be offset by having fewer riders.
We demand our state senators pass real transit funding solutions, and will be mobilizing riders at the ballot box to ensure that all PA communities have the transit service – and the elected representation – that they deserve. Transit riders can take action now by calling and sending a letter to their state senator, and following Transit for All PA for upcoming actions in their communities.
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Transit for All PA is a statewide coalition representing more than 20,000 transit riders, transit workers and stakeholders in big cities and small communities across the Commonwealth. Together, we are organizing to expand Pennsylvania’s public transit systems to grow our economy and connect more Pennsylvanians to jobs, healthcare, and essential needs.
Transit Forward Philadelphia is a coalition of Philadelphia-based organizations fighting to improve public transit in Southeast Pennsylvania.
Pittsburghers for Public Transit is a grassroots union of transit riders, workers and neighbors. Together we organize for an expanded, affordable and accessible public transit system that meets all needs, with no communities left behind.
