Sen. Picozzi says there won’t be ‘perfect solution’ to SEPTA funding as protesters rally near his Northeast Philly office

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For the second straight day, protesters gathered Tuesday in Northeast Philadelphia demanding SEPTA funding, while a separate rally backed state Sen. Joe Picozzi’s effort in the legislature.

Picozzi says there won’t be a ‘perfect solution’

After protesters packed Picozzi’s office the day before, the Republican lawmaker who represents Northeast Philly addressed the media as a crowd of his supporters flocked around him, holding signs saying they trust him “to get the job done.”

The Republican state senator has been gaining attention recently after presenting a plan to add $1.2 billion to state public transit over two years from unused capital money in the Public Transportation Trust Fund. Democrats have dismissed it as not a viable option to save SEPTA because those funds have already been set aside for necessary system and safety upgrades.

Picozzi said everyone’s “very concerned” about the upcoming transit cuts, but added that there was “no perfect solution” as the legislature continues to delay the state budget, now seven weeks past the deadline.

“I think the perfect solution — or the best solution — is the solution that can happen in the most fast and reasonable way,” Picozzi said. “Both parties need to come together. The House and the Senate need to come together.”

Picozzi said the Senate’s budget approval was “huge progress” on the issue of transit funding as SEPTA faces a $213 million shortfall. That same week, House members passed a different funding measure. When asked if legislators are looking to combine both deals into one package, Picozzi said, “That’s a lot of where my head’s at.”

“Both sides have acknowledged the need to fund mass transit and to support our system and ultimately, a safe SEPTA,” Picozzi said. “I want the people at home to understand that leaders are working tirelessly around the clock. We all need to come together as one city. We don’t need to fight internally. We don’t need to fight against each other.”

The state’s budget is more than six weeks past its deadline, which could also jeopardize the state’s Amtrak service, as it would lose $71 million if the transit funding crisis persists. Picozzi said he met with Amtrak officials Tuesday.

“They don’t approve their new budgets ‘til October,” Picozzi said. “We feel good that we’ll be in a good position where that doesn’t come up. It’s something we’ve been working on from the beginning. We’ve been tied in with some of the federal office holders as well.”

Protesters continue sounding alarm on SEPTA cuts, urge lawmakers to ‘stand up strongly’

SEPTA riders and advocates rallied near Picozzi’s office at the Parkwood Shopping Center near Bus Route 50, one of 32 routes that will be cut starting Sunday.

Stephen Bronskill with Transit Forward Philadelphia said the group plans to continue rallying each week “to hold our lawmakers accountable until they find a real solution.”

“We’ve heard from Sen. Picozzi, we’ve heard that he cares about SEPTA,” Bronskill said. “We’ve heard that he cares about Philadelphia, and so we urge him to stand up strongly to act in the best interest of all of us in our city and all of us in our commonwealth that depends on reliable, accessible, safe public transportation.”

The cuts are scheduled to begin Aug. 24 — the day before the first day of school in Philadelphia. Of the school district’s 198,000 students, roughly 52,000 depend on SEPTA to get to and from school.

Unite Here Local 274 member Autumn Fingerhood said students and workers will feel the impacts of cuts.

“You stated that you were one of us,” Fingerhood said, criticizing Picozzi for the second time in two weeks. “You said you had long conversations, heart to hearts, about what SEPTA can and should be … What you actually did was vote to move capital emergency funds to operations, which means basically you moved it from one fund to another. That is taking away from SEPTA. That is taking away from the people of Philadelphia. That is not helping any of us.”

Philadelphia Federation of Teachers Local 3 Legislative Representative Benjamin Hover said students and workers deserve better elected officials.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that without a fully funded SEPTA, the academic futures of these students and the ability of our members to get to their jobs will be in jeopardy,” Hover said. “This is unacceptable.”

The SEPTA cuts will eliminate 32 bus routes and shorten 16 bus routes. There will also be a reduction in service to the 88 bus and Metro and Regional Rail lines. In addition, all special service, including the Sports Express, will be discontinued.

The bus routes that will be eliminated are: 1, 8, 12, 19, 30, 31, 35, 47M, 50, 62, 73, 78, 80, 88, 89, 91, 106, 120, 126, 133, 150, 201, 204 (Sept. 27, 2025), 206, 311, 452, 461, 462, 476, 478, 484, BLVD DIR and MANN LOOP.

Beginning Sept. 1, SEPTA says it will increase the base fare 21.5% to $2.90, up from $2.50, if a permanent funding solution isn’t found.

By Jan. 1, 2026, more service cuts would be on the way, including a 9 p.m. curfew on all train service and the elimination of five Regional Rail routes and the Broad-Ridge Spur.

Representatives across state lines and in the surrounding counties have been pleading with Pennsylvania lawmakers to approve transit funding, saying services are both “a lifeline for thousands” and “the economic powerhouse for the entire commonwealth.”

According to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, proposed service cuts to SEPTA could result in approximately 275,000 additional vehicles on local roadways, a number just shy of Pittsburgh’s population.