WEST CHESTER, PA — State Rep. Chris Pielli, D-Chester, joined colleagues and transit advocates on Friday at the Chester County Justice Center to call on Pennsylvania Senate Republicans to act on mass transit funding before further SEPTA service cuts disrupt southeastern Pennsylvania.
The rally was part of a broader march led by state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, from Upper Darby to Harrisburg to highlight the urgency of transit funding. Pielli, who has been outspoken on the issue, criticized Senate Republicans for inaction. “The Southeast region of PA generates over 40% of all General Tax Revenue in the entire state and yet we only get back 19% in government services,” he said. “This is taxation without transportation, and I’m tired of red county Republicans sponging off the bounty of our labor and blocking fair funding for our schools, our seniors, our streets and bridges and, yes, our SEPTA.”
SEPTA has already begun cutting bus, trolley, and train services across the Greater Philadelphia region after the Senate failed to advance a funding plan. The House previously passed legislation that would direct more than $292 million to public transportation and $500 million for road and bridge repairs statewide without raising taxes.
Chester County lawmakers stressed the high stakes for their communities. “Accessible, affordable, reliable, and convenient public transportation is critical to quality of life, economic stability, and public safety,” said state Sen. Katie Muth, D-Chester. “We cannot continue to allow failed leadership, corporate special interests, and partisan politics to hold our taxpayer dollars hostage.”
Other legislators warned that reduced transit would harm commuters, businesses, and local economies. “We have relied on SEPTA to move people and drive commerce for over 60 years, and now it’s time we answer their call,” said state Rep. Paul Friel, D-Chester.
State Rep. Dan Williams, D-Chester, added that transit funding is vital across all 67 counties, noting that “funding public transit means more money for our communities, more people on the job and safer neighborhoods.”
Several representatives pointed to specific vulnerabilities in Chester County, where regional rail and bus lines serve as critical lifelines. Rep. Melissa Shusterman, D-Chester, described the Paoli-Thorndale line as “the heartbeat of our community,” while Rep. Christina Sappey, D-Chester, warned that cuts to routes like the 104 bus would force more cars onto already congested roads.
Rep. Danielle Friel Otten, D-Chester, emphasized the broader economic impact: “If we fail to reach a funding agreement and provide critical support for transit, it would mean more traffic on our roads and a huge hit to the economy in southeastern PA, which is the major economic engine for the rest of the state.”
Kenyatta and fellow marchers will continue their journey west, with stops in Lancaster before arriving at the State Capitol in Harrisburg on Sept. 2 for another rally pressing Senate leaders to act.
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