Pennsylvania House makes last-ditch effort to stave off cuts at Philadelphia's public transit agency
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Pennsylvania's House of Representatives met hastily Monday to pass transportation funding legislation in a last-ditch effort to stave off deep service cuts at the Philadelphia region's public transit agency.
The Democratic-backed bill passed the chamber, 108-95, over the objection of nearly every Republican in the chamber.
The nearly $1 billion bill has the support of Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro, and includes funding for highways, too. But it faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled Senate, where the GOP majority has resisted increasing aid for transit.
The bill increases aid for transit agency operations by $292 million, or about 25% more, with the lion's share of the money going to the Philadelphia-based Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.
SEPTA has said it cannot keep waiting for more aid before it makes cuts, which it says would be more drastic than any undertaken by a major transit agency in the United States.
The nation's sixth-largest public transit system has warned that it will cut half its services by Jan. 1 and be unable to provide enhanced service for major tourist events next year. Those include FIFA World Cup matches in Philadelphia, events surrounding the celebration of the nation's 250th birthday, Major League Baseball's all-star game, the PGA Championship and NCAA March Madness games.
The deadline push comes after two years of stalemate, amid transit struggles nationwide with rising costs and lagging ridership.
SEPTA has said that, on Thursday, it will begin a 10-day preparation period for 20% across-the-board service cuts. Those take effect Aug. 24 and include eliminating bus routes with lower ridership and reducing the frequency of bus, trolley and rail services across the region.
Under the plan, fares will then rise by 21.5% on Sept. 1 and, soon after, the agency will impose a hiring freeze. It will carry out another service cut on Jan. 1 that will mean that it will have eliminated half its current services, it has said.
Democrats say shoring up public transit agencies around the state is critical to the economy and making sure people can get to work, school and medical appointments.
Republicans have objected that transit agencies need to become more efficient, highways need more state funding and transit riders should pay higher fares.
Transit agencies in Pittsburgh and elsewhere around Pennsylvania also say they are making cuts or raising fares, or both.
___
Follow Marc Levy on X at https://x.com/timelywriter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jets first drive on offense offered glimpse into ideal Tanner Engstrand offense
New York Jets offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand was anxious to watch his first-team offense take the field in Saturday's preseason game versus the Green Bay Packers. After a string of disappointing practices, the offense looked effective and efficient while immediately setting the tone in an eventual 30-10 exhibition Week 1 victory. It looked exactly how Engstand wanted the offense to look. Justin Fields and the first-string offense strung together a 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive that lasted over five minutes. On the third play from scrimmage, Fields avoided a three-and-out by completing a six-yard pass on third-and-5. On a second-and-10, the Jets' starting QB hit fullback Andrew Beck for 12 yards. Braelon Allen then rushed for 14 yards and Fields got the Jets in Packers territory with a 16-yard completion to Beck. That made it three explosive plays in a row, with a mixture of air and ground. A handful of plays later, Fields rushed for a 13-yard TD from a muddied pocket on third-and-5, capping a strong drive with a touchdown. It was precisely what Engstrand hopes to see throughout 2025. The dual-threat Fields was impactful both as a passer and rusher. Everyone got involved in the passing attack, and the backfield created explosive gains. The Jets' opening drive of the preseason displayed Engstrand's ideal offense. This article originally appeared on Jets Wire: Jets first offensive drive offered look into Tanner Engstrand offense
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Detroit Tigers in rain delay vs. Chicago White Sox at Rate Field. When will game start?
CHICAGO — The Detroit Tigers have been impacted by rain for the second day in a row. The Tigers and Chicago White Sox have been hit with a rain delay before the start of the second of three games in the series Tuesday, Aug. 12, at Rate Field, with rain expected until 8 p.m. This rain delay occurred less than 24 hours after a 63-minute rain delay in the ninth inning Monday, Aug. 11. First pitch was initially scheduled for 7:40 p.m. It's unclear when the game will begin. "It's spotty," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said before Tuesday's rain delay. "I think we're going to play. It's a matter of when this next cell hits us. There's been some downpours in the last 24 hours. The path to our dugout was full last night within five minutes after the game. It's supposed to be clear enough for us to get the game in, but not clear enough for us to take batting practice." After Tuesday's game, the Tigers and White Sox will play at 2:10 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13, in the series finale. For Wednesday's game, the Tigers are expected to deploy a bullpen-only game, likely using right-hander Troy Melton (and possibly left-hander Brant Hurter) as bulk relievers. This story will be updated. Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@ or follow him @EvanPetzold. Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers rain delay vs. Chicago White Sox at Rate Field
Yahoo
11 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500, Nasdaq futures trade flat as Fed rate cut bets surge after inflation data
US stock futures wavered amid increasing expectations that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates at its next meeting, following the latest inflation data. Futures attached to the Dow Jones Industrial Average (YM=F), the benchmark S&P 500 (ES=F), and the tech-heavy Nasdaq 100 (NQ=F) hovered around the flatline. In day trading, stocks roared after the release of the July CPI report, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both touching new records. Though the data showed inflation had ticked up, it increased by less than expected. The results boosted bets the Fed would cut interest rates at its September policy meeting, especially in light of recent warnings signs the labor market is weakening. In after-hours trading, Circle (CRCL) sank after the company announced it would sell 10 million shares on the heels of its first earnings report since its explosive public debut. Cava (CAVA) shares also dove after the company issued its first annual sales growth target cut. CoreWeave (CRWV) saw losses too despite beating revenue estimates on strong demand for AI. Later this week, investors will get two more snapshots on the state of the economy with the release of the Producer Price Index on Thursday and retail sales data on Friday.
