Opinion: The PA Senate’s historic opportunity to shift gears on mass transit

While we may cheer for rival teams, say either “youse” or “yinz”, and have an unnatural love for Cheez-Whiz or French fries on sandwiches, the people living in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh regions agree on one thing: We both love and need our public transportation systems. 

We know firsthand that a well-funded transit system makes a region strong, which is why, like so many other Pennsylvanians, we are paying close attention to the state Senate’s historic opportunity to make a real investment in how residents of the Keystone State get around. 

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation estimates that nearly 1 million Pennsylvanians rely on public transit each day. This includes folks riding the bus to doctors’ appointments, taking light rail to work and kids getting on the subway for school. Philadelphians and Pittsburghers alike rely on high-quality and reliable transit to go about their daily lives – and right now in Harrisburg, our state lawmakers are playing a game of chicken with that public good. 

It is no secret that the state of public transit in our commonwealth is in dire need of reinvestment. Pittsburgh Regional Transit has voted on a budget that, without state funding, will result in a nearly 40% cut in service for riders. This means that special services for sports events, concerts and the upcoming NFL draft will be eliminated, leaving 19 communities in Allegheny County without public transit. PRT faces a staggering $100 million deficit this year, and solutions to mitigate this deficit are dire. The proposed cuts will disproportionately affect those with disabilities and who are low-income, thanks to a 62% cut in ADA transit, and a proposed fare increase could lead to PRT having some of the highest transit fares in the country.

On the other side of the state, SEPTA has officially entered its “death spiral,” and major Philadelphia institutions, such as Temple University, are urging those who use public transit to commute to its North Philadelphia campus to explore alternative options. SEPTA’s first round of cuts is due to come on Aug. 24, the day before Philadelphia public schools start the new academic year. Students, teachers and staff will face longer commutes due to route eliminations and less frequent schedules, in addition to the nearly 21% fare increase, making the commute to school and work even more expensive for working families.

With recent and forthcoming major investments in the state’s economy, the need to invest in our transportation systems should not be divisive or politicized. PennDOT studies show that more Pennsylvanians commute to work via public transit than the national average, and data from the 2020 census shows that 25% of all Philadelphia workers and over 17% of Pittsburgh workers commute to work each day via public transit. Together, this means that over 135,000 workers will lose their primary means of transportation to and from work each day.  

As we prepare to welcome visitors to the Semiquincentennial, World Cup, NFL Draft and a litany of other events in 2026, organizers statewide have planned a variety of exhibits and events that feature each region’s distinct neighborhoods and culture in the hopes that visitors will use public transit to explore our cities and state. Without adequate transit funding, the millions expected to flock to Philadelphia for both the MLB All-Star Game and the Semiquincentennial next year will be hard-pressed to find an affordable, enjoyable way to beat Center City traffic and travel from Independence Hall to Citizens Bank Park. 

Our dedicated and skilled workers, who time and time again rise to the challenge and defeat the odds to ensure work is done timely and with quality, are the boots on the ground that will ensure the millions of visitors to Pennsylvania next year will be able to enjoy their time safely and invest in our economy. 

But our workers can’t make it happen in 2026 if they can’t get to work tomorrow.  

We can’t continue to have a strong, educated workforce that will keep Pennsylvania at the top of our nation’s industries if our current and future workers can’t use affordable, reliable public transportation to get to school and work each morning. 

We are thrilled that Pennsylvania will be receiving so much attention in the coming year. We’re excited for people from all over the globe to experience our hospitality, our incredible history and our commonwealth. But we know that without this critical investment, our state senators are choosing chaos and uncertainty at a time when we need all hands able to get on deck. 

We need a real investment in public transit and the hundreds of thousands of workers who rely on it each day. A tug-of-war between elected officials shouldn’t be allowed to prevent Pennsylvanians from reaching school or work each day in a timely and affordable manner.  Without a comprehensive and sustainable investment in our transit by our state legislature, countless people will lose access to vital services – and the opportunity to put food on the table. 

A worthwhile investment in public transit is a critical and lasting investment in our future. It’s time the state Senate meets the urgency of the moment and puts workers – and the good of the commonwealth – front and center by making this critical investment.