State Sen. Maria Collett, alongside other local officials, hosted a rally for public transit funding Wednesday, June 18 at the Lansdale SEPTA Train Station. Photo by John Worthington | The Reporter.
Beginning in August, the Lansdale/Doylestown regional rail line would be reduced from hourly to bihourly
Against the backdrop of moving trains, local officials Wednesday demanded funding for public transit systems across the state amid a looming budget deadline.
Held at the Lansdale SEPTA Train Station, the rally called on state lawmakers to pass critical funding for public transit systems across Pennsylvania to prevent drastic cutbacks to services and increased fares.
“I’m hosting this rally to send a clear message: failing to fund public transit is not an option,” said state Sen. Maria Collett, the rally’s host.
In addition to other state transit systems, SEPTA is facing a sizable budget deficit due to the end of federal COVID relief funding and the increased cost of fuel, power and supplies.
Without additional funding, SEPTA has proposed a 45% reduction in services, including the elimination of five regional rail lines and 50 bus routes, a 20% reduction of service to all remaining routes and a universal 9 p.m. curfew. Fares would spike from $2.50 to $2.90, beginning in September. The changes would affect SEPTA’s nearly 800,000 daily commuters.
Beginning in August, the Lansdale/Doylestown regional rail line would be reduced from hourly to bihourly. In January, the 132 bus would be eliminated entirely. Such cutbacks would cripple the mobility of countless community members, warned the officials.
“Older and disabled Pennsylvanians who rely on the bus to get to medical appointments will face new barriers and may be forced to use costly rideshare services, which are more scarce here in the suburbs,” warned Collett.
Local officials additionally warned that the cutbacks could lead to a “death spiral” for public transit, with lower ridership further depleting funding.
“Cutting routes, access and lines while increasing fares could spiral membership to a new low, further decreasing funding for our transit system, from which it may not be able to recover,” said Lansdale Councilwoman Rachael Bollens.
Shapiro’s funding proposal
In response to the funding crisis, Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed nearly $300 million in new funding for 52 mass transit systems across the state in the 2025-2026 budget year, with $1.5 billion proposed over the next five years. The proposal would draw on existing sales tax revenue.
On Tuesday, the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed Shapiro’s proposal by a vote of 107-95, with nearly all Democrats and seven Republicans voting in favor. The bill now awaits action in the Republican-controlled State Senate, which has repeatedly declined to take up identical proposals in the past. The budget deadline is June 30.
‘A lifeline’
At Wednesday’s rally, local officials underscored the importance of public transit to Pennsylvania’s economy, providing critical transportation for thousands of workers, students, seniors and tourists across the state. Over one million Pennsylvanians use public transit every day, noted the officials.
“Public transit is not a luxury; it is a lifeline,” said state Rep. Steve Malagari. “The people who depend on SEPTA shape our region’s economic future success, and if a lack of funding forces SEPTA to cut entire train lines and bus routes, that will mean cutting off independence and opportunity for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians.”
Other benefits include reduced traffic congestion, lower pollution and economic revitalization, said the officials. They noted that public transit helped develop many historic towns across the commonwealth and is key to their revitalization.
“Our communities were quite literally built and exist because of the rail lines,” said Bollens. “This stop built in 1902 is part of Lansdale’s rich history of connectivity and community, and this line continues to serve as a major artery from Montco to Philly. It’s part of the lifeblood of our local economy and can hold the key to the future of our revitalization.”
Statewide impact
Speakers repeatedly stressed that public transit funding impacts the entire state, not just Southeastern Pennsylvania.
“Many of my colleagues in the Senate Republican majority dismiss this as a city problem and [say] that the hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians who rely on public transit every day will just have to deal with increased fares or just drive themselves places,” said Collett.
“Public transit is in every county, with over a dozen agencies,” said Connor Descheemaker, campaign manager for Transit for All PA. “We need to repeatedly and conclusively combat the false narrative that this is just some SEPTA problem. This is all of us.”
Descheemaker additionally compared the tepid response to the public transit funding crisis to the swift response following the June 2023 I-95 bridge collapse, which serves far fewer commuters.
“How many people use that every day? 195,000 car trips a day,” said Descheemaker. “SEPTA moves 800,000 people per day, four times as many. We need to act with the same urgency here to fix our funding crisis for public transit everywhere.”
He also noted that Pennsylvania is set to host several national and international events in 2026, including the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh and the FIFA World Cup, PGA Championship and multiple March Madness games in Philadelphia, for which public transit will be critical. The city and surrounding region are also planning large events for the nation’s 250th birthday in 2026, which will attract huge crowds dependent on public transit.
“Without reliable and robust transit, we wouldn’t have gotten any of these events, and we never will again,” said Descheemaker. “Without SEPTA and without Pittsburgh Regional Transit, we will be a global embarrassment.”
Turning a crisis into an opportunity
Moving forward, the officials urged state lawmakers to turn the funding crisis into an opportunity to create a fully-funded statewide public transit system.
“This could be the beginning of the end or this could be the beginning of our transit revolution,” said Bollens. “We don’t need to cut lines and increase fares to Band-aid our transit for a tenuous survival. What we need is dedicated statewide funding and investment.”
Collett concluded the rally with a call to action for her Senate Republican colleagues, demanding the passage of Shapiro’s funding proposal and the ongoing prioritization of public transit.
“I call on my colleagues in the Senate to fund transit across Pennsylvania,” said Collett. “We will not stop until our colleagues on the other side of the aisle see this as the important issue it is across our commonwealth and make sure that this funding is in the governor’s budget this year.”
