Governor Josh Shapiro approved a request from the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) to shift up to $394 million in capital funds from the Public Transportation Trust Fund into daily operations. The move allows SEPTA to avoid planned service cuts for the next two years. These funds are usually reserved for long-term projects and equipment such as buses and trains.
As part of the approval, the administration directed SEPTA to report to PennDOT every 120 days on steps taken to increase efficiency and address financial challenges. The Governor also said he will continue pushing for a long-term solution to provide stable transit funding.
Transit systems across Pennsylvania face similar budget pressures. Pittsburgh Regional Transit and other regional providers may look at comparable strategies…