Some Philadelphians try to spread word on SEPTA funding crisis

“If they kill SEPTA, they kill Philly.” 

That was the message a group of four Philadelphians worked to spread Friday evening to people passing by the transit authority’s headquarters on Market Street. 

Advertised on social media as “the people’s SEPTA hearing,” members of the Philly branch of the 20-year-old Party for Socialism and Liberation took to the streets to “unify around this issue as Philadelphians and say there is no good reason not to fund SEPTA to its fullest need,” party member Brian Mazelis explained. 

“Everybody should have a vested interest in having full funding and [SEPTA] being robust so that it can actually benefit both the riders’ and the workers’ lives,” he said. 

Their efforts come after the transit authority narrowly avoided a 21.5% fare hike when Gov. Josh Shapiro transferred $153 million from federally funded highway projects in November. But SEPTA isn’t out of the woods — its future still remains uncertain as it lacks a permanent funding solution from the state legislature. 

Mazelis sees the problem as an opportunity to connect with others and garner support for a stronger transit system across Philadelphia. 

Andrew Busch, SEPTA’s director of media relations, said in an email that “communications with our riders will be crucial in the coming months” as future decisions on service cuts and fare costs are made. 

“These potential service cuts would impact all riders, and SEPTA knows it has to make every possible effort to clearly communicate the details of these plans to those who depend on our services every day,” he said. This would come as public announcements and postings at stations and online. 

Conversations that PSL organizers like Audrey Sinclair had with passersby revealed that there are plenty of Philadelphians who ride SEPTA but are unaware of the fiscal crisis it’s facing, she told Billy Penn. 

At the same time, they spoke to non-transit riders to build outsider support for full SEPTA funding. Cam Deutsch, from South Jersey, who isn’t directly impacted by SEPTA’s fiscal woes, was one spectator who called himself “fairly ignorant to this issue,” but wanted to learn more. 

“A lot of citizens depend on public transport, and it’s easier for them, it’s easier for the companies they work for, for them to get to their jobs, it’s easier for them to get their livelihoods by being able to go to their jobs … I think that public transport should be more prioritized,” he said. 

More than just an issue of transportation

PSL’s message went beyond the potential fare increases and service cuts that will impact riders, and they say the wellbeing of SEPTA workers should be a larger part of the funding discussion. 

“There is a large amount of truth to the fact that SEPTA can’t afford to pay its employees because they’re underfunded,” Mazelis said. 

Last month, unionized transit workers threatened to walk off the job before securing a 5% pay and pension increase plus safety improvements. 

Mazelis called the union wins an “improvement, but still nowhere near the amount that’s really going to make a difference in genuinely improving the quality of life of these workers,” and maintained that the only way to do so is through a boost in overall funding to SEPTA that will allow for larger wage increases. 

SEPTA also acted as the centerpiece for a discussion of other issues the city faces, namely the tentatively approved Sixers arena in Chinatown that opponents argue would lead to economic destruction of a historic neighbor. It would also add pressure to the transit agency, costing an estimated $21 million per year to meet gameday demands. 

“There are so many different things that are happening in the city right now that SEPTA is looped in on,” Mazelis said.  

Friday served as the group’s first outreach event for the SEPTA funding issue.