Philadelphia Transit Campaign

Philadelphia Transit Campaign

6703 Germantown Avenue • Philadelphia, PA 19119 • (267) 295-2040 • info@phillytransit.com • www.phillytransit.com

We got a stay of execution....but we need a full pardon now!

SAVE PUBLIC TRANSIT!

We have one week until the SEPTA Board meets again. It plans to adopt a draconian proposal to eliminated its $62 million deficit by increasing fares by close to 40%; to cut weekday service by 20%; and to run Saturday trains on a much reduced Sunday schedule. (See below for more information about last week's meeting.)

The budget deficit can and must be closed without such draconian measures. We can stop them. But to do so, you have to do your part NOW!

What you can do this week to save public transit!

1. Contact Governor Rendell immediately

The Republican legislature has failed us by leaving Harrisburg without supporting dedicated funding for public transit. Now we need Governor Rendell to use federal highway flex funds to give SEPTA the short term funding it needs. We see no other way to to avoid devastating service reductions and fare increases. For more information about how to contact the Governor and what he can do to help save public transit, click here.

2. Rally for Public Transit

The Philadelphia Transit Campaign has endorsed the Million Worker March on Friday, December 10. In addition to seeking new funds for SEPTA is protesting the increasing costs of heating and new PGW policies as well as recently announced layoffs of city workers. The march will begin at PGW at 1137 Chestnut Street at 4:00 pm, will go to SEPTA Headquarters at 1234 Market Street at 4:45 pm and continue to City Hall at 5:30 pm. For more information, click here.

3. Attend the SEPTA Board Meeting, Thursday, December 16 at 3:00 pm.

The Philadelphia Transit Campaign continues to believe that SEPTA should not make any service reductions or fare increases. It should continue to run the system as long as possible. The burden for saving public transit properly belongs with our elected officials who have not provided the funds SEPTA needs. The SEPTA Board should not be the ones who destroy public transportation in our region.

4. And don't forget Speaker of the House John Perzel

While it is not our top priority for this week, we are not done with our effort to get the General Assembly to forge a long term solution for public transit: new, adequate dedicated funding. Speaker Perzel lives in Philadelphia, knows why we need public transit, and is one of the Republican leaders of the General Assembly. Let him know that he has to work with Governor Rendell to solve the transit funding crisis. Contact information for him is here.

5. Join our phone tree

We would like to keep in contact with supporters of public transportation who don't have email. If you can spare twenty minutes every once in a while to call five people, you can take part in a phone tree that can mobilize thousands of people on this issue. If you would like to take part, email us at info@phillytransit.com or call us at (267) 295-2040

Last Week at the SEPTA Board Meeting

As we entered the SEPTA Board Room last Thursday morning, many of us joked that there should be a red phone at the table, so that Governor Rendell could, even at the very last minute, announce a stay of execution for SEPTA by telling us that he had decided to make Federal flex funds—highway funds that can be transferred to public transit—available to SEPTA.

Well, the red phone rang. But, to our surprise, it was not Governor Rendell but the Philadelphia representatives to the SEPTA Board, Jettie Newkirk and Christian DiCicco, on the line. (And it seems, that Mayor Street was there, too, egging them on.) Thanks to their veto, a drastic proposal to increase SEPTA fares by close to 40%; to cut weekday service by 20%; and to run Saturday trains on a much reduced Sunday schedule, went down to defeat, at least temporarily.

We are proud to say that the Philadelphia Transit Campaign played an important role in this decision. The arguments made by our three representatives at the hearing—Marc Stier, Lance Haver, and Peter Javsicas—were taken seriously by the whole board and specifically acknowledged by Mr. DiCicco and Ms. Newkirk as they justified their vote against the draconian proposal to balance SEPTA $62 million deficit. (You can read our statement here.)

The veto is only temporary. It is likely to be overturned by the SEPTA Board at its meeting on December 16. But it does give us two weeks to bring as much pressure as we can to bear on Governor Rendell. For, right now, we see no alternative to using federal flex funds--funds that can be used flexibly either for roads or public transit-- to save SEPTA and the Port Authority of Allegheny County.

Steering Committee
Philadelphia Transit Campaign