For Philadelphia's Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, potential SEPTA cuts would be devastating
In Philadelphia's Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, half the residents don't own cars. For them, public transportation is essential, not a choice.
Neighbors like Marcella Bevins rely on SEPTA to get to doctor's appointments several times a month.
"I got to my oncologist, that's the 49 bus to go to Civic Center ... I catch the 49 to go to 30th Street Station to catch the El," said Bevins, a Strawberry Mansion resident.
But SEPTA's $213 million budget deficit is pushing the agency to shrink the system. It plans to cut 50 bus routes and five Regional Rail lines and reduce service across the board.
Strawberry Mansion will be hit especially hard. Nine routes through the neighborhood could be discontinued or reduced by up to 20%.
"I don't know what SEPTA is doing; they raised the fare, and then they want to cut routes. That doesn't make sense," Bevins said.
"They feel like it's an attack on them and their life. It's a food desert. Not a lot of places to get groceries, and they've got relatives across the city they want to visit," Jalon Alexander, an attorney and community advocate, said.
Alexander hosted a meeting on Monday at Garden of Prayer Church, bringing neighbors, SEPTA officials and lawmakers together.
"Candidly, SEPTA's the victim here. SEPTA needs funding to thrive," Alexander said.
Right now, SEPTA funding depends on lawmakers in Harrisburg, who have until June 30 to include SEPTA in the state budget, just ahead of the transit agency's own deadline.
"The money that needs to be spent is nothing compared to the money that will be lost if we do not fund SEPTA," state Sen. Sharif Street said.
When service cuts go into effect beginning Aug. 24, SEPTA said affected riders will still be able to use alternate routes to get to their destinations. However, that could include more transfers, and most people's commutes may be longer and more complicated.
"If I've got to catch another bus when I've been catching the same bus for 25 years to get to and from work, that's going to cost me more. That affects my budget," Tyrone Williams, of Strawberry Mansion Community Development, said.
It also affects their jobs, health, families and daily survival.
The Strawberry Mansion community said decisions about service cuts shouldn't be made without their voices at the table.
"I think SEPTA attending the meeting today reflects their commitment to work with the community as a team because they're an integral part of our lives," Alexander said.
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