Anger at state Senate Republicans dominates a Philadelphia transit town hall

At a packed town hall on Thursday night in West Philadelphia, local lawmakers and public-transit advocates lambasted Harrisburg politicians for failing to adequately fund the beleaguered Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, which began cutting service across the region this week – and which plans to raise fares next week. The event’s location – a public K-8 school – underscored the real-world impact of SEPTA cuts on the ability of both students and staff to get to school.

“To have such a crucial lifeline not be available to people is a frustrating situation,” said City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who represents District 3 in West Philadelphia – the only council district, she pointed out, where a majority commutes by means other than cars. “SEPTA has been ringing the alarm on this for a long time … There was plenty of time to not get here. And it’s frustrating because it’s nonsensical.”

At the town hall, attendees’ ire was directed at three Republican state senators in particular: Joe Picozzi, Frank Farry and Tracy Pennycuick, whose Southeastern Pennsylvania districts include SEPTA routes ­– and whose GOP-controlled chamber has expressed skepticism about financial accountability at SEPTA, which faces a $213 million budget hole.

State House Democrats want to see a recurring transit-funding solution; meanwhile, state Senate Republicans have proposed resolving the immediate crisis with money from the Public Transportation Trust Fund – a measure Democrats have opposed, as that fund is intended for capital expenditures rather than day-to-day operations. But on Wednesday, state House Majority Leader Matt Bradford suggested that he was open to a proposal that uses PTTF money to resolve the crisis, a position also held by Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro.

Gauthier expressed frustration with Senate Republicans’ intransigence regarding the state budget – and, by extension, the state’s well-being. “It is nonsensical that we (in Southeastern Pennsylvania) represent 40% of the state’s economy, and our economy runs on SEPTA, but they’re willing to let SEPTA die,” she said.

State Sen. Rick Krajewski, who also represents West Philadelphia, emphasized that SEPTA’s plight is part of a larger struggle to adequately fund public transit across the commonwealth. “This is an issue across Pennsylvania in terms of how we fund mass transit,” said Krajewski, who described his own longtime reliance on the agency to commute to work.

Stephen Bronskill, a spokesperson for the nonprofit Transit Forward Philadelphia – and a former public school teacher – joined the lawmakers in encouraging constituents to continue their pressure on officials to resolve the crisis. “We are going to keep this momentum and keep showing up at our lawmakers’ and elected officials’ offices until we get a deal,” he said.

There was a glimmer of good news for students after the town hall: While state Democrats, who control the House of Representatives, and the GOP-controlled state Senate have been unable to resolve the issue of public transit funding amid the ongoing state budget impasse, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker last night announced that she would direct existing city transit funds to restore some SEPTA bus and trolley routes that are heavily used by School District of Philadelphia students.

“Making sure that all of our city’s children and youth can get to school on time and safely is one of our top priorities,” the mayor said in a statement. “We are proud that our City teams moved quickly with SEPTA to find a way to restore transit services in the areas where students are most affected.”