Sufficiently fund SEPTA
Thousands of Northeast Philly residents rely on SEPTA to get around, and all of us benefit from a strong transit network. That’s why community members organized a rally to call for the legislature to fund SEPTA at the historic Fox Chase train station on June 12.
We heard powerful transit stories from Northeast Philly seniors, high school students, a single parent, a recent immigrant and even a nurse who uses the train to commute to Fox Chase Cancer Center from Center City. Our buses, trains and paratransit vans are a lifeline for people who are unable to drive, they enable people to avoid the huge expense of commuting by car, and they reduce traffic congestion and pollution. Transit has been crucial for our neighborhoods for decades.
But the service we need is under threat. Though SEPTA operates more efficiently than other big transit agencies, the state does not provide sufficient funding. If the legislature doesn’t solve this problem, we will lose multiple bus routes in the Northeast as well as the Trenton Regional Rail Line in the coming months. And SEPTA will reduce service on the Fox Chase Line, the West Trenton Line and many other Northeast Philly bus routes.
Our legislators have stepped up to push for solutions that preserve and improve transit service and prevent drastic fare hikes. Legislators, please keep up your work and make sure we have the transit service that we need.
Madison Nardy
Director, 215 People’s Alliance Northeast Chapter
