Pennsylvania House Republican Leader Jesse Topper (R-Bedford/Fulton) today filed a co-sponsorship memo in advance of the introduction of legislation outlining a plan to address SEPTA’s chronic budget issues by privatizing the transportation authority’s busing operations.
“While SEPTA has done an admirable job in taking responsibility for its chronic budget deficits by raising fares and finding efficiencies in its operations, it is clear this is a problem government cannot solve without going back to taxpayers for more money or finding new sources of revenue,” Topper said. “My legislation will offload, at a minimum, SEPTA’s busing operations to take the burden and expense of this function out of SEPTA’s budget and place it within the operation of a private company that can bring the skill and expertise needed to provide high-quality service at a lower price.”
According to the co-sponsorship memo, under the forthcoming legislation, SEPTA would be required to enter into a public-private partnership with a private entity to, at minimum, operate the authority’s buses, which would generate additional savings. The partnerships would be reviewed and subject to the approval of the Public-Private Partnership Board and legislative oversight.
File Image: Credit SEPTA
“Privatizing busing operations has been successfully implemented for commuter bus operations in Maryland and for busing services in major cities like Denver. In addition, Americans are increasingly reliant on private ride-share services to manage transportation needs,” Topper added. “What’s clear is that doing the same thing over and over again is not going to fix SEPTA’s problems, and other currently proposed options only serve to patch over the problems of a system chronically in crisis. Privatizing SEPTA’s busing operations serves to offload operational costs and expenses of a portion of SEPTA’s overall portfolio and can help alleviate expenses while offering a more efficient way to deliver the same service.”
Meanwhile last week Bucks County Democrats called on lawmakers to fully fund SEPTA at a press conference in Levittown.
You can read the full co-sponsorship memo HERE.