Regarding SEPTA’s next executive, Prime Minister Cameron said: “It will be a huge task for the person in that position to be able to navigate us to get the funding we need and expand the system.” The Chamber of Commerce and Industry is aware of this.
And he said the chamber is “ready and standing by to work with them.”
Cameron said he uses the SEPTA system regularly, mostly riding the bus to work in Center City.
The transit system faces a $240 million budget shortfall as funding dries up due to the coronavirus pandemic. State leaders have taken some temporary steps, but they are not enough to bridge the gap.
Many businesses are located just outside Philadelphia’s city limits and within SEPTA’s transportation network, which reaches deep into the suburbs.
Looking at commuting patterns, low-income workers in urban areas and nearby suburban communities are more likely to use public transportation, as are college students, university and hospital employees, the elderly, and people with disabilities. I understand. And from time to time, especially during holidays, international and local travelers do as well.
SEPTA’s new fare increases will mean some riders in the outer ring of its service area will pay more, but some will also want inner-city residents to pay their fair share. He claims to want to.
All of these groups have different needs than SEPTA and different on-demand schedules, making reliability a key factor in deciding whether to ride.
For business travelers, not only reliability and access are top priorities, but also the safety of themselves and their employees.
While many business professionals prefer driving due to their tight schedules packed with meetings and other responsibilities, there are others who prioritize SEPTA support and it works well for them.
“I’m a power user of SEPTA. My son loves trains, so we sometimes ride trains as a hobby,” he said.
Kenyatta James, Deputy Executive Director of the Business Federation of Philadelphia. “But I take the train or bus almost every day to go to work or take my son to school.”
Although fewer white-collar workers commute daily from the suburbs to Center City than five years ago, the demand for fast, reliable transportation is still expected, especially for the preferred route between Washington and New York City. For business travelers using this service as a route, there are pit stops and transfers in Philadelphia and New Jersey.
“I live near the subway, so I take the subway a lot. It’s always easy and convenient, and it gives me a little bit of control over the temperature. On the train platform, the temperature is always about the same, but it’s still generally is fast [than sitting in traffic]” said James.
He supports renewed advocacy for increased SEPTA investment in the public sector. Opportunities abound, he said, such as the Broad Street subway reconnection project along Lehigh Avenue, where Amtrak and SEPTA regional trains plan to renovate the North Philadelphia station.
“There is a lot of transportation infrastructure on the East Coast that, with renovations and the right support, could be put back into service, allowing for significant increases in commuter traffic and allowing people to get around without cars. It is possible,” he said. “But many of these decisions are not made by the people who need the trains. Politics across the state can make things more difficult than they need to be.”
