Credit: Screengrab
State Sen. Steve Santarsiero and members of Bucks County’s Democratic House delegation gathered at the Yardley Regional Rail Station on Thursday to call for immediate funding for SEPTA, which faces a $213 million budget shortfall and will begin service cuts on Sunday, Aug. 24.
The lawmakers criticized a $1.2 billion transportation funding bill passed by the Republican-led Pennsylvania Senate this week, calling it a “hollow gimmick” that takes money from capital funds rather than providing new, recurring revenue for transit operations.
The bill, which passed Tuesday evening along with a $47.6 billion budget plan, would use money from a state trust fund for capital projects and gaming revenue.
Democrats have argued the proposal is not a sustainable, long-term solution.
“The bill that they moved is not a solution. It’s not real funding,” said Santarsiero, a Democrat who represents the 10th Senate District, which includes SEPTA bus routes and several rail lines. “It takes the majority of the money that it would put toward mass transit from our public transportation trust fund and it does so by taking money away that’s already obligated for capital expenditures.”
The transit funding crisis prompted SEPTA to issue a warning that without additional state funding by Thursday, it would be forced to implement service cuts and a fare increase. The agency has also warned that without a sustainable funding source, it will be forced to make more dramatic cuts in January 2026, including the closure of the Trenton Line, which runs through the area.
Republican State Sen. Frank Farry, who supported the bill and whose Sixth Senate District includes SEPTA train and bus lines, said the bill he voted for Tuesday would temporarily resolve the funding crisis and would not drain the state capital fund because it is replenished, estimating that it would have $2.9 billion by 2030.
Farry and fellow GOP state senators Tracy Pennycuick and Joe Picozzi issued a joint statement Thursday stating that the “SEPTA created crisis is a disservice to commuters, their workforce, and all Pennsylvanians.”
“We will continue to try to work with SEPTA and our colleagues of all parties including the Democrat-controlled SEPTA Board to work towards a solution to address SEPTA concerns,” the three Republicans said.
Santarsiero called the Republican proposal a “cynical shell game” and challenged Republicans to vote on a recurring revenue stream.
When asked by a reporter, Santarsiero said he supports Farry’s separate legislation to tax skill games to fund transit, but noted Farry’s GOP colleagues have not voted on that bill.
Speaking to reporters after an agriculture luncheon in State College on Thursday, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said the Senate vote showed both sides are committed to transit funding but talks are still ongoing. The governor said he met with Democratic and Republican leadership after Tuesday’s vote.
“I thought what the Senate did was move the process forward,” he said. “I’m confident we’re going to get there.”
Bucks County Commissioner Chairperson Bob Harvie, a Democrat who serves on the SEPTA Board of Directors, said the cuts are not a bluff and will take effect without the additional funding. He criticized Senate’s leadership for a lack of legislative action.
“It’s time for people in the state senate to show up for work and do their jobs,” Harvie said.
On Monday, the Democratic-led Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed House Bill 1788, which did not move forward in the Senate. That legislation would increase the percentage of sales tax revenue allocated to transit, raising an estimated $167 million for SEPTA, more than $40 million for Pittsburgh Regional Transit Authority, and roughly $60 million to $70 million for transit systems statewide, according to officials.
State Rep. Perry Warren, a Democrat whose district include the West Trenton Line, said the House bill would create sustainable funding not just for southeastern Pennsylvania but for transit throughout the state.
The Republican proposal also requires transit agencies to raise fares every two years, which Democrats said would burden working families.
“At a time when people are still struggling … saying that now you are going to guaranteed have to pay more for your commute is not what we as a state should be doing,” Santarsiero said.
State Rep. Jim Prokopiak said the Levittown Train Station in his district, which received tens of millions in improvements several years ago, is slated to shut down at the start of 2026 under the proposed cuts.
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewHopeFreePress.com
State Rep. Tina Davis, whose district includes the Trenton Line and several bus routes, said the funding crisis has become a moral issue affecting people’s ability to get to work and school.
“Now we’re cutting people who aren’t making very much money. They can’t get to work and they can’t get to school,” Davis said.
State Rep. Brian Munroe, a Democrat, who represents an area served by the Warminster Regional Rail Line, said SEPTA cuts will make it harder for people to get to jobs in Bucks County and add more traffic to already-busy roads.
“People tell me they want more service,” he said.
Local resident Bill Ashmanskas, who commutes daily from the Yardley Train Station to Philadelphia on SEPTA Regional Rail, said the service was a key factor in his decision to move to the area.
“The availability of SEPTA Regional Rail was really a top factor in our moving to Yardley,” Ashmanskas said. “If regional rail service were terminated or severely curtailed, my options would be to move to Philadelphia, to scale back my hours or to add my own car to the daily rush hour gridlock on I-95.”
Credit: Tom Sofield/NewHopeFreePress.com
Ashmanskas praised SEPTA’s safety and efficiency, saying he has never felt unsafe on trains or at stations in 16 years of riding the system.
Santarsiero said conversations between legislative leaders were ongoing Thursday. He said Democrats remain prepared to return to Harrisburg to vote on a compromise.
“We are prepared to go in anytime,” Santarsiero said. “But again, I urge the Republican leadership to focus on a real solution here and offer a real compromise.”
Advertisement
Meet Your Canna Coach: Personalized Guidance, Free for You!
Leave a Comment