Legislation soon to be introduced in the state House will address Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority’s (SEPTA) budget deficit by privatizing the transportation authority’s busing operations.
SEPTA plans to eliminate dozens of bus and regional rail routes, cutting service by 45 percent, despite having reduced its budgetary deficit from $240 million to $213 million. The more than $27 million the agency needs is 1.55 percent of its $1.7 billion operation.
Under the bill, SEPTA would be required to enter into a public-private partnership with a private company that, at minimum, would operate the agency’s buses.
“While SEPTA has done an admirable job in taking responsibility for its chronic budget deficits by raising fares and finding efficiencies in its operations, it is clear this is a problem government cannot solve without going back to taxpayers for more money or finding new sources of revenue,” Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Jesse Topper (R-Bedford/Fulton), who will introduce the bill, said. “My legislation will offload, at a minimum, SEPTA’s busing operations to take the burden and expense of this function out of SEPTA’s budget and place it within the operation of a private company that can bring the skill and expertise needed to provide high-quality service at a lower price.”
In 2023, Pennsylvania subsidized SEPTA $773 million.