Philadelphia Transit Campaign

Philadelphia Transit Campaign

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

It is time to fight

SAVE PUBLIC TRANSIT!

If you want to save public transit there is one thing you must do this week. Help us block SEPTA's devastating plan of service reductions and fare increases by attending the:

SEPTA Board Meeting
Thursday, December 16
3:00 pm
1234 Market Street

And, if you can come earlier, please join the members of SEIU Local 36 who will be congregating at the Clothespin at 2:30 PM to march to SEPTA headquarters.

You can also help by printing multiple copies of our flyer announcing all Board Meeting and distributing them at train stations and bus stops and other locations. The flyer is available in PDF and Microsoft Word versions. (To get a copy of Adobe PDF Reader, click here.)

Finally, please send this email to any lists you are on. Forward it to at least ten friends. And, if you get this indirectly please go to our website to sign up for our email reports and to learn more about the issue.

Our Strategy

Two weeks ago the Philadelphia representatives to the SEPTA Board, Jettie Newkirk and Christian DiCicco, vetoed a plan that SEPTA itself said would lead to the "dismantling" of our public transit system. The SEPTA Board plans to vote to override the veto on Thursday.

We believe that strong opposition from citizens can stop this draconian plan. SEPTA does not want to adopt it. But right now most members of the SEPTA Board believe that this is the best way to show Harrisburg the consequences of its failure to provide dedicated funding for public transit.

We have another idea. The SEPTA Board has to see that the citizens of this region are ready to take matters in their own hands. If we show SEPTA--and Governor Rendell and the General Assembly--that we will take to the streets to demand funding for public transit, we can convince SEPTA that there is a better way to force Harrisburg to meet its responsibilities.

The right path is for SEPTA to continue running our transit system as is, until the money runs out. This won't happen for months. And thus we will have time to put pressure on both Democrats and Republicans in Harrisburg. The threat of closing the system, together with our continued political activity, will bring us the dedicated funding for transit we so desperately need.

The Costs of Failure

The consequences of the SEPTA plan are awful to contemplate. A fare increase of almost 40% leading to a $3.00 token combined with weekday service reductions of 20% and Saturday service on the reduced Sunday schedule will devastate the working poor, senior citizens, and school children. It will undermine economic growth both in the city and the suburbs. It will make our roads more congested and our air dirtier. It will lead to mass layoffs among SEPTA Employees.

This is terrible. But the long term consequences could be worse. Even if the state comes through with new subsidies, the system will have suffered a loss of riders who may never return. And, most likely, any new funding we get will only sustain a much diminished system.

We must demand the full funding needed to avoid any service reductions or fare increases this year or next. We must tell Governor Rendell and the General Assembly we will accept nothing less!

The Prospects of Success

If you come to the SEPTA Board Meeting, we have a good chance to win. In the last week, more people have focused on this issue than at any time in the past. Our phones are ringing and our website is incredibly active. Other groups have joined our effort. (One group has put a petition for dedicated funding on the web. You can sign here). The administration of Mayor Street is energized and actively supporting us. And, the news from Pittsburgh indicates that on Thursday the Port Authority Board is likely to adopt our strategy.

Even if we lose at the SEPTA Board, we are not finished. We intend to go to court to force SEPTA to delay implementation of the plan. And we have other cards up our sleeves.

The Region Needs Your Help!

We can't do this without you. Come to the SEPTA Meeting.

Nothing good happens in politics without a fight. Join us. Don't let public transit in this region go down the tubes because no one cared enough to save it.

Steering Committee
Philadelphia Transit Campaign