Gov. Shapiro gets it right with his public transit funding push. But more is needed. | Editorial
New state funding alone will not save public transportation in the region. Addressing public safety issues on SEPTA and finding a regional funding solution are critical.
Gov. Josh Shapiro took the first step in stabilizing public transportation in the region by announcing that he would ask for new state funding for public transit, out of which SEPTA will receive the largest share.
With draconian service reductions and steep fare increases on the horizon because of expiring federal funds and ridership numbers that remain below pre-pandemic levels, the inclusion of a five-year, $1.5 billion commitment is a welcome lifeline.
Still, this new funding infusion alone will not save public transportation in the region. Indeed, it will only allow SEPTA to maintain a status quo that already fails to deliver the kind of high-quality service Philadelphians deserve.
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Moving ahead, the transit agency needs to provide safer, cleaner service that engenders trust among riders. It’s also essential that governments in the five counties where SEPTA operates work together to develop a regional funding solution that can support the transit system as it strives to grow and improve.
Fortunately, Shapiro seems to understand this.
The governor is urging SEPTA to issue a comprehensive plan to tackle public safety and quality-of-life issues that have prompted many potential riders to avoid the system, particularly along the Broad Street and Market-Frankford subway lines.
Beyond bringing riders back, restoring a sense of order to the system could also help SEPTA financially. Fare evasion, for example, costs SEPTA tens of millions of dollars a year. It is also seen as a precursor to other public safety challenges. Past crackdowns on fare beaters have led to a decrease in felonies committed in the system. In recent years, the agency dismantled some of its penalties for fare evaders. Rolling back some of those policy choices and finding a sensible approach to law enforcement would benefit all.
Shapiro’s funding plan for public transportation would increase the allocation of sales tax revenue dedicated to supporting transit systems throughout Pennsylvania. He is also urging Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties to produce a joint funding solution for SEPTA. That kind of additional support is a critical requirement to improve the transit system as well as receive more federal funding through the bipartisan infrastructure deal.
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As SEPTA often points out, virtually every other major transit system in the country benefits from significantly more support from local and regional governments than it receives. Currently, SEPTA garners about $17 per resident, while other agencies average $70. Given the more than four million people who live in the five counties served by the system, increasing the level of local funding could be a game changer for the agency.
Besides just plugging gaps in the system’s budget, that additional funding would allow SEPTA to alleviate a $5.1 billion repair backlog, explore the possibility of constructing a subway line along Roosevelt Boulevard, and consider Regional Rail expansions to cities like Coatesville. It would also help get hundreds of thousands of cars off the road, lessening the demand for expensive projects like the proposed widening of I-95.
With Shapiro taking up the cause, a cleaner, safer, better SEPTA is possible. But more state funding is only the beginning.