(The Associated Press circulated the following article by Mark Scolforo on December 17.)
HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania’s public-transportation funding crisis reached a new stage Thursday as mass transit agencies in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia both imposed steep fare increases and drastic service cuts.
The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority voted 13 to 2 to raise cash fares from $2 to $3 in the Philadelphia area, where passengers will soon pay the highest rail-system fare in the country. Hours earlier, the Port Authority of Allegheny County boosted its base fare by 43 percent to $2.50.
Riders of both systems also are in for reduced service, including fewer hours and lines, and less frequent trains and buses. Pittsburgh’s service will shrink by 27 percent over the next seven months, and in Philadelphia there will be 20 percent fewer trips systemwide starting Jan. 23.
The SEPTA vote came despite a plea from Mayor John F. Street to delay the vote for a month and a promise that he would sue if the reductions were approved.
“I am asking you on behalf of all the people who will suffer as a result of all of this to just say no,” he said.
Fares for buses, trolleys, and other services in Pittsburgh will increase by 25 cents on Feb. 1, then by 50 cents next summer. Service will be reduced by 12 percent in early March and 15 percent about four months later, with dozens of routes to be shut down or limited.
In Philadelphia, the basic fare will go to $2.50 on Jan. 23, then to $3 on March 1. No routes are being eliminated there.
The moves are an attempt to address monumental operating deficits. SEPTA is $62 million in the red; the Port Authority’s deficit is about $30 million.
Public transportation is in the throes of “a death spiral,” said Stephen Donahue, co-founder of Save Our Transit, a Pittsburgh rider-advocacy group.
“Given the situation the state put public transit in, I guess today was really about the best we could expect,” he said. “But it’s still a disaster, and we’re still angry.”
Paul P. Skoutelas, the Pittsburgh authority’s chief executive, said an infusion of cash from the state Legislature would lead his agency to reconsider the scope of the fare increases and service reductions. Under the plan approved Thursday, about 500 jobs in the 3,100-employee system will be cut.
“It all depends on the timing, and it all depends, obviously on how much money they would appropriate,” Skoutelas said.
Republicans said Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell did not actively pursue a public-transit bailout until very recently. They indicated any action from the General Assembly won’t occur in the immediate future.
“They were late to the game. But we have members that care about it. There are things we’ll look at,” said Senate Republican aide Drew Crompton.
“Things only become a priority for (Rendell) when it becomes a crisis,” said Steve Miskin, spokesman for House Majority Leader Sam Smith, R-Jefferson. “And that’s poor leadership.”
Rendell spokeswoman Kate Philips said Rendell has demonstrated his commitment to public transportation by increasing funding for it in his first two budgets.
“There is no free lunch, and unfortunately the lack of commitment from the Legislature has put (mass transit) in an untenable position,” she said.
Also Thursday, state Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler and other administration aides met with transportation officials in Washington to explore whether federal highway money can be used to cover transit costs.
Since the early 1990s, Pennsylvania has transferred — or “flexed” — nearly $586 million into public transportation infrastructure, equipment and maintenance, but the current budget problems involve operating costs that have not been considered eligible for such transfers.
Federal officials said it may be possible to shuffle the money around, but made no promises.
“I think the conclusion that we walked out of the meeting with is, there’s no guaranteeing it,” said Rendell deputy chief of staff Roy Kienitz.
If Rendell decides to go that route, it would take money from a variety of other “meat and potatoes” road projects scattered around the state, Biehler said.