Pennsylvania House makes last-ditch effort to stave off cuts at Philadelphia's public transit agency

A last-ditch effort to prevent half of all public transit services from being eliminated in the Philadelphia region passed Pennsylvania's House of Representatives on Monday, as a roughly $1 billion Democratic-backed funding plan advanced toward an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled state Senate.

- by Marc Levy Associated Press

The bill — which includes funding for highways, too — increases aid for transit agency operations by $292 million, or about 25% more, with the lion's share of the money going to the Philadelphia-based Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.

SEPTA has said it cannot keep waiting for more aid and must start making cuts in the coming days, which it says will be more drastic than any undertaking by a major transit agency in the United States.

The nation's sixth-largest public transit system has warned that it will cut half its services by Jan. 1 and will be unable to provide enhanced service for major tourist events next year. Those include FIFA World Cup matches in Philadelphia, events surrounding the celebration of the nation's 250th birthday, Major League Baseball's all-star game, the PGA Championship, and NCAA March Madness games.