NBC 10 S Lauren Mayk is joining us now with a closer look at these increases and how they
will affect customers. Lauren.
Well, Fred and Jacqueline. Yes,
Septa is saying that they do
expect that these changes will
lead to fewer people riding
Septa. And I asked the chief
operating officer today, how
long will these fare increases
last before you have to do more?
He said they may not last very
long. He didn’t have a specific
timeline, but in the short term,
these are unwelcome changes for
riders. Across the region, Septa
is something its riders depend
on. This is most likely the best
way to get to the city, you
know, because a lot of people
don’t like the parking and they
don’t want to pay the prices for
the parking. I ride it all. I
use the busses, I use the
subways, I use Broad Street line
Frankford line, all of it. I
really depend on public
transportation because I don’t
drive. Riders could soon be in
for higher prices with a
proposal to boost rates by 29%
early next year. Today we stand
with our feet on the edge of the
fiscal cliff. SEPTA’s chief
operating officer Scott Sauer,
introducing the plans for both
fare increases and service cuts.
It will result in an overall
service reduction of 20% across
all modes. Dozens of routes will
be eliminated, and those that
remain would operate with
significantly less frequency.
Septa has been warning it needed
funding to help plug a $240
million annual shortfall.
Looking for help from
Harrisburg? This is the result
of inaction. A spokesman for
Governor Shapiro, who proposed
transit funding in his budget,
said the House has passed it,
pointing to the Senate to do the
same. The House is controlled by
Democrats, the Senate by
Republicans, the Senate majority
leader, Joe Pittman, told NBC 10
in a statement. Quote, Septa
must take steps to increase the
safety and efficiency of the
organization before any
additional taxpayer dollars are
committed. Additionally, I have
made it clear that any transit
discussion at the state level
cannot occur without
consideration of transportation
infrastructure investment. End
quote. Meanwhile, riders are
hoping something might change
before the rates go up and
service is cut. I just hope
somebody can do something about
it because it’s only affect me.
It will affect thousands of
riders. We came across a Septa
rider who also works with the
local political group Reclaim
Philadelphia. He suggests people
contact local and state elected
officials reaching out to
anybody and saying like, we
can’t handle this. This is too
much of a raise and it’s going
to take a toll on everybody.
Now, Septa is planning to have
public hearings so that people
can weigh in on this, and they
are planning to hold them at the
convention center because they
are expecting so many people
will want to be there. Live in
Center City. I’m Lauren Mayk NBC
10 news. A lot of people
depending on Septa. Lauren thank
you. And the Septa board will
vote next Thursday on the first
fare increase. If approved, that
will go into effect on December
1st. A public hearing on the
second fare hike is scheduled
for December 13th. If the board