(The Center Square) – State government covers more than half of operational costs for mass transit systems in Pennsylvania’s largest cities.
Notably, it’s not rider fares or contributions from local taxing authorities. In 2022, the latter represented just 7.5% of funding for both SEPTA in the Philadelphia region and the Pittsburgh Transit Authority, which operates 300 miles to the west in Allegheny County.
This stands in stark contrast to systems in Boston, Chicago and New York City, where state governments pay between 9% and 30%. The data, compiled by the Commonwealth Foundation, a conservative think tank based in Harrisburg, raises questions about the amount Pennsylvania spends to prop up its own mass transit systems.
Department of Transportation spokeswoman Alexis Campbell told The Center Square that the money allocated is “a direct result of the funding approach established and approved by the General Assembly.”
On Friday, Gov. Josh Shapiro again boosted support for SEPTA, deep into the red after years of dwindling ridership, as transit officials sounded the alarm about crippling price increases and service cuts that would disrupt the lives of more than 800,000 residents.
For others, it’s a problem of SEPTA’s own making, and one that taxpayers across the state aren’t responsible for solving.
Shapiro said the $153 million infusion from federal highway funds, plus a 7.5% increase in fares, should hold the system over until state lawmakers find a longer-term solution.
More specifically, until Senate Republicans agree to more permanent funding. In the last of the governor’s budget proposals, he’s suggested a plan to spend $1.5 billion over the next five years.
Campbell said the money would support public transit that exists in every county, in some form, and upon which millions of people rely.
“We’re hopeful that the continued conversation will ultimately lead us to a future where transit is recognized for the life-sustaining public service – and economic engine – that it is, and is sustainably funded and supported,” she said.
However, given the deteriorating condition of roads and bridges elsewhere in the commonwealth, leadership in the upper chamber – including Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman and Transportation Chairman Wayne Langerholc Jr. – says delivering such a big ask is unrealistic.
“Equally troubling is the fact that SEPTA relied on this fairytale wish list in their budgeting process,” the leaders said. “We would be hard-pressed to find businesses in the commonwealth that operate on this type of budgeting principle.”
In July, the Legislature approved an $80.5 million aid package for SEPTA in recognition of the system’s struggle to recover after the pandemic. Senate Republicans, while cognizant of the region’s reliance on mass transit, said SEPTA officials needed to reconsider how its money is spent – and why riders may not have returned in full since COVID-19 service disruptions lifted.
“Rather than making prudent, sensible changes, they have chosen to politicize and pillage critical infrastructure projects for other districts which are well outside of SEPTA reach, ironically, the majority being in Republican districts,” the leaders said.
Democrats, who control the legislative calendar in the House, push back against the notion that only Philadelphia and its suburbs benefit from mass transit funding.
“Every mass transit agency in Pennsylvania faces funding challenges,” said House Speaker Joanna McClinton, D-Philadelphia. “From Allegheny County’s Port Authority to the bus lines serving communities in Dauphin County and Harrisburg, transit systems across our commonwealth need support.”
Indeed, mass transit in Pittsburgh is crippled under the financial strain of depleted ridership and the exhaustion of pandemic aid. Federal support for the system, as well as SEPTA, hasn’t entirely gone away, however.
In April, the Federal Transit Administration earmarked $600 million to bolster public transportation funding in the state as part of its efforts to expand and modernize transit systems.
The Philadelphia area is set to receive the most of it, at $448 million. Statutory formulas and funding levels set by Congress determine how much money flows. Pittsburgh received just under $83 million.
Money can be used to expand, maintain, and operate public transit systems; upgrade stations, tracks, and maintenance facilities; plan and design new transit corridors; and improve access. Federal officials call the money part of “the largest investment in public transit in U.S. history.”
Investment aside, critics argue that SEPTA should make changes, especially ones that have been looming for decades. Prior to 2024, the system had not reevaluated bus routes for more than 60 years, according to analysis from the Commonwealth Foundation.
After reexamination, SEPTA cut the number of routes by 13% and increased those considered “frequent service.”
“These types of cuts are what SEPTA should be doing instead of lobbying for more state funds – eliminating unused services and optimizing the ones that customers use the most,” said Andrew Holman, a policy analyst for the foundation.
