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2d ago

Shapiro and Union Leaders Press Legislature to Fund SEPTA by Aug. 14 to Avoid Cuts

Missing the Aug. 14 funding deadline would force SEPTA to cut one-fifth of its service alongside a 21.5 percent fare hike.

FILE - A Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority bus (SEPTA) is driven on Market Street in Philadelphia, Oct. 22, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
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Overview

  • Gov. Josh Shapiro, union leaders and SEPTA officials have intensified pressure on lawmakers to pass House Bill 1788 by Aug. 14 to secure the state aid needed to avert service cuts planned for Aug. 24.
  • The state House convened Sunday night for a preliminary vote on HB 1788, which now includes GOP performance accountability measures, and Senate Republicans have been summoned back to Harrisburg for a vote on Tuesday.
  • Absent new funding, SEPTA’s plan would eliminate 32 bus routes, shorten 16 routes, cut five regional rail lines and the Broad-Ridge Spur subway, reduce all remaining services by 20 percent, enforce a 9 p.m. curfew, cancel sports express trains and impose a 21.5 percent fare increase starting Sept. 1.
  • Senate Republicans are backing an alternative proposal to tap the state’s $2.3 billion rainy-day fund instead of raising taxes while Shapiro and House Democrats push a $292 million sales-tax allocation for recurring transit revenue.
  • Union and business leaders warn that cuts would disrupt the commutes of 800,000 daily SEPTA riders and jeopardize key regional events such as the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the MLB All-Star Game and the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations.