Jayson Massey

Philadelphia

The constituents of Senator Dush have sent many correspondence regarding increased funding of SEPTA, and I’d like to clear up some things that were stated in a letter that may have been sent to you. First, the Commonwealth’s budget has a surplus due in no small part to the General Assembly’s systematic underfunding of programs such as public transit and public education. The mass transit deficit is there throughout the country. Bloomberg states that there is a $6 billion ongoing budget deficit for American mass transit. That is the fault of many people, and using the former General Manager of SEPTA as a scapegoat is poor form, poor policy and really isn’t productive or professional.

Senator Dush neglects to mention that mass transit helps to keep road costs down by eliminating cars. Green Iowa AmeriCorps says that in 2011, American public transportation saved almost 865 million hours in travel time and 450 million gallons of fuel. These savings go into drivers’ pockets at the pump and reduces the wear and tear on well-ridden urban roads. The condition of the roads in Pennsylvania is an issue of our constantly changing seasons and the General Assembly’s choice to not invest in our roads. ConsumerAffairs ranks PA roads fifteenth out of the 50 states and D.C., with over 34.5% of urban roads in poor condition and 18.7% of rural roads in poor condition. I live in Philly, and the roads would be way worse and much more expensive if SEPTA doesn’t keep 800,000 daily passenger trips out of cars and off of Philly’s pothole-infested roads.

The Senator also states that rural people are paying for SEPTA while ignoring the fact that urban folks are paying for rural roads with no problems! SEPTA moves two-thirds of the people using public transportation in PA, plus four other counties in New Jersey and Delaware. It’s a utility that brings in money. Forty percent of PA’s economic activity happens in SEPTA’s five-county area. Over a quarter of these folks are Education, Health Care, and Social Assistance workers. People we need to take care people. Losing a service like SEPTA would create almost $20 billion in property loss, 76,700 in potential lost jobs, $6 billion in lost potential earnings and $11.4 billion in lost tax collections per ESI, Inc. Not investing in SEPTA would create a real strain on ALL PA communities, much less rural roads. We need the tax revenue mass transit generates to help everyday Pennsylvanians like you. Pennsylvanians need to get around and politicians need to stop playing around and get transportation funded for all Pennsylvanians.