PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Transit activists and elected officials are riding SEPTA nonstop for 24 hours to emphasize the need for transit funding.
The round-the-clock rides kicked off Tuesday with an 8 a.m. rally at City Hall. Organizer Stephen Bronskill of the group Transit Forward Philadelphia said City Council members and transit advocates are riding the system all throughout the day — and night.
“We’re going to ride the train and the bus all through the night. We’re going to come back here to City Hall to fight for the transit we deserve,” he said.
Advocates hope this 24-hour demonstration keeps the pressure on the divided Legislature in Harrisburg, after this year’s state budget did not include dedicated funding for mass transit.
“There are Democrats, Republicans, Independents, somewhere in between, all riding the train today,” Bronskill said, “so that’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to make sure that everybody sees what riders are experiencing.”
Activist Jay Arzu said the marathon ride is meant to show how much people here depend on SEPTA.
“It is what drives this city,” he said. “We need it to be funded, and we need SEPTA to be the world-class system that southeastern Pennsylvanians deserve.”
