“The Hub” is a weekly round-up of transportation related news in the Philadelphia area and beyond. Check back weekly to keep up-to-date on the issues Clean Air Council’s transportation staff finds important.
SEPTA in Crisis: SEPTA’s doomsday scenario is here: if you didn’t catch it last week, SEPTA announced a proposed $2.6 billion budget that would see vastly reduced service and fare hikes. SEPTA’s financial crisis has been impending for years; this proposed budget includes the potential elimination of 55 bus routes, five Regional Rail lines, and 66 stations. To avoid cuts, our state legislators must pass a budget that properly funds public transit and prevents our transit agencies from reducing services and increasing fares. SEPTA riders who depend on public transportation to access school, doctor’s appointments, and other vital daily needs in the city gathered to decry essential service cuts in a rally last Friday. State Senators Nikil Saval, Vincent Hughes, Joe Hoehenstein, and other local politicians, union members, and advocacy group leaders were present.
If you care about SEPTA and public transit in our state, take action by contacting your legislators here.
WHYY: Program places cameras on Philly buses to record motorists who illegally pass – 20 buses from the Philadelphia School District have been equipped with cameras in a new pilot program aimed at deterring drivers from illegally passing stopped school buses as students board and exit. The cameras, donated by vendors BusPatrol and Gatekeeper Systems, Inc., for no cost for the current school year, will provide data that will be monitored via AI and sent to the school district.
WHYY: Philly PHLASH adds 2 new bus stops, helping locals and visitors ‘explore every single attraction’ – The seasonal PHLASH bus service has added 2 new bus stops, increasing accessibility to spots like the Mütter Museum and Rittenhouse Square. The first stop is on Arch Street, between 5th and 6th streets; the second stop is on the Ben Franklin Parkway, between 21st and 22nd streets.
Other Stories
Mass Transit: PA: Philly’s 250 plans challenged as SEPTA funding crisis looms
City & State Pennsylvania: From Philly to Pittsburgh, mass transit leaders sound the alarm on funding shortfalls
WHYY: Main Line business leaders say proposed SEPTA cuts would be ‘absolutely devastating’
Mass Transit: Amtrak, NJ Transit highlight infrastructure, equipment improvements in new report
PhillyVoice: NJ Transit engineers reject deal, setting stage for possible strike in May
