By State Sen. Tim Kearney, D-26

As the PA General Assembly wrapped up its final week for the 2023-2024 session last week, critical issues like public transit funding remain unaddressed, leaving SEPTA and its riders to face dire consequences.

SEPTA recently announced 20 percent fare increases across all transit modes, with plans to reduce service and eliminate routes by July, an outcome the Legislature has been warning about for two years.

Fewer services and higher costs will mean fewer riders, forcing further cuts and fare increases, creating a “transit death spiral.”

This will devastate our metropolitan economy, cutting off access to jobs, schools and essential services like health care.

Our fragile economic recovery from the pandemic depends on a strong transit system, and our economic redevelopment efforts will be stalled.

Despite numerous warnings from our business leaders, Chambers of Commerce and economists, Pennsylvania Senate Republicans have not struck a deal with Governor Josh Shapiro and legislative Democrats to strengthen statewide transit service.

Since the SEPTA region generates 40% of the state’s economic activity, a hit to our local economy directly affects the state’s overall financial health.

SEPTA counties produce 40% of Pension income tax, 36% of sales tax, 41% of corporate tax and 40% of real estate transfer tax revenue, all from just 5% of the state’s land.

That means less revenue for the rest of the state to support crucial services and projects, making this our collective problem to solve.

As a member of the Senate Transportation Committee, I know that providing essential transportation infrastructure—roads, bridges, trains, and airports—is a core responsibility of government. This result is simply unacceptable.

So what’s next?

With the same number of Democratic and Republican legislators elected in 2022, we are once again in a divided Legislature.

House and Senate Democrats have been and still are willing to reach a deal, and now is the time for the Senate Republican majority to come to the table instead of avoiding state challenges, a strategy that won them nothing this month in despite Republican gains nationally. .

As a state senator for several municipalities in Delaware County, including Upper Darby and SEPTA’s 69th Street Station, I have been keenly aware of the challenges SEPTA and its riders face regarding the system and how integral SEPTA’s service is to the hundreds of thousands of workers. , students, seniors and other residents who rely on it to get around.

As of spring 2023, SEPTA has warned of a looming fiscal cliff due to the loss of COVID relief funds and post-pandemic changes. While legislative leaders in Harrisburg have vowed to reach a bailout deal, last week was the last chance to pass the legislation.

Because of legislative inaction, we have reached and are now past the fiscal cliff.

Our divided Legislature must compromise to fund transit, roads and bridges for all Pennsylvanians and find a way to pay for it, whether by taxing skill games, allocating more sales tax revenue, or something else.

Failure is not an option.

Without state intervention, the spiral of death in transit will continue, and Democrats must also be ready to make concessions to our fellow Republicans in order to reach a lasting solution.

Kearney was originally elected in 2018 and won re-election in 2022, representing much of Delaware County.

Originally published: November 20, 2024 at 1:54 PM EST