‘Transit is vital': SEPTA workers rally at Pa. capitol in fight for funding

Transit union members lined the steps in the rotunda of the Pennsylvania Capitol building on Tuesday to rally for the fight for SEPTA funding.

"There is no reasonable person that believes you can run the commonwealth effectively while shutting down public transit, and yet, they're asking us to give an arm or a leg or cut some deal. Just fund the damn transit," State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta said.

The rally on May 13 included union members who were bused in as SEPTA and other transit agencies try to convince lawmaker in the chambers to agree to the millions they need to avoid cuts and fare increases.

"We need funding. Funding is very important for transit. Transit is vital for the region," worker John Lipscomb said. "People are scared. They're afraid."

Hiring would stop first, but layoffs could come next Spring if SEPTA doesn't get the funding it says it needs.

Government in Harrisburg is divided with Democrats led by Speaker Joanna McClinton pushing colleagues to fund transit with more that $200 million needed for SEPTA. Democrats control the House while Republicans control the Senate, but there are signs of bipartisanship.

"The dollar amount SEPTA says it needs is not achievable," Sen. Joe Pittman – who represents a district to the east of Pittsburgh – told NBC10's Lauren Mayk.

Pittman also said that he wants to see more infrastructure funding and more from SEPTA.

"SEPTA needs to sharpen its pencil. They need to make sure that the local municipalities and the local government are paying their fair share to support the service that they receive. My constituents don't receive any benefits from the SEPTA network," Pittman said.

On the House side, Republican House leader Jesse Topper suggested privatizing SEPTA's busing with a public-private partnership.

"I think its time to look outside the box because continuing the way we've been doing it, fight for money that may or may not be there in the future, doesn't seem to be working very well," Topper said.

Proponents of SEPTA funding said that keeping the agency healthy helps the whole state's economy.

SEPTA's interim general manager Scott Sauer said that he's had meetings with Sen. Pittman and believed the meetings were productive.

"While I appreciate his perspective, the number is what it is and there's really not a whole lot I can do with it except cut service," according to Sauer. "We're not going to ask for less."

Sauer also said that the transit agency is looking at the option of privatizing certain things while continuing to fight for the funding it needs.

"I think you first have to look at the history of SEPTA, where we came from. SEPTA was created by the general assembly in response to bankrupt private transportation providers. So, we are what we are because the private sector could not do what we do," according to Sauer.

SEPTA bus operator Vivian Williams told NBC10 that she sees the impact on riders too.

"On my bus route, you hear a lot of seniors. They're scared because they don't know how they're going to get to the doctor," Williams explained.