PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Democratic lawmakers and transit advocates rallied on the steps of the state Capitol in Harrisburg on Wednesday to call for a funding deal that would prevent deep cuts in mass transit.
SEPTA has threatened a 45% cut in service if it doesn't get an increase in state funding to close its deficit. At the statehouse rally Wednesday, Philadelphia State Senator Sharif Street said you'd see the consequences on the Schuylkill Expressway.
"It would be a complete parking lot. The economic engine in the southeast would completely shut down without SEPTA,” he said
Jayla Fitzgerald, a student at Philadelphia’s Academy at Palumbo, told the crowd she relies on SEPTA as her only option to get to school.
“Because high school students don't get provided with school buses, SEPTA is our school buses that we need and use in order to get to our schools,” she said.
Transit advocates from across the state called on the governor and leaders of the divided legislature to find money for mass transit. Allegheny County Rep. Aerian Abney said one solution could be a House bill that would tax rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft.
"That money will go back into the mass transit fund to give us an estimate of $175 million additional to what the governor's proposing for us to fully fund mass transit,” he said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed a nearly $300 million increase for mass transit in his budget. Speaking in Philadelphia on Wednesday, the governor said he’s still in talks with the Republican-led Senate.
"The Senate asked if I'd consider putting funding for roads and bridges together with mass transit. I was already planning to do that. Happy to do that," he said.
Shapiro said he's open to different revenue sources for mass transit. He said that what the state can't do is nothing.