[Transit-allegheny] Rendell.-SEPTA Deal for Students; Feds Back-Out

[Glenn A. Walsh]

While a Pennsylvania Common Pleas Court Judge
continues to consider the City of Philadelphia's
request for a permanent injunction forbidding the
elimination of public transit paper transfers by the
Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority
(SEPTA), SEPTA has agreed with Pennsylvania Governor
Ed Rendell's request to provide free weekly passes to
about 36,000 school children in Philadelphia who live
more than 1.5 miles from their school. These free
passes, which will only be usable on weekday mornings
and afternoons, will also be discounted to students
who live less than 1.5 miles from school. All students
in Philadelphia public, charter, and private schools
are eligible for the passes.

The new student passes will eliminate the need of
students to purchase paper transfers to get to school.
The additional cost to students, of SEPTA's plan to
eliminate transfers, was one of the legal arguments
against the elimination made by the City.  The cost of
this program will be shared by the State (70 percent)
and SEPTA (30 percent). According to the Governor,
this agreement was made possible by the transit
funding legislation enacted in Harrisburg last month.

Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street applauded the
agreement, but insisted that the City's lawsuit
against SEPTA will continue, as the City is still
concerned about the effect the elimination of SEPTA
transfers will have on low-income and minority city
residents.

In the meantime, the Federal Transit Administration
(FTA) has quickly backed-away from their original
letter to SEPTA stating that the transit agency needed
to analyze the effects of transfer elimination on
minority and low-income residents. SEPTA General
Manager Faye Moore had responded that SEPTA had
already conducted such a study and determined there
was no adverse impact on minorities. FTA administrator
James Simpson apologized to SEPTA for the original
letter, from the agency's office of civil rights, and
said, "no further action by FTA is warranted at this
time."

As of now, SEPTA refuses to release the analysis to
the public, due to the ongoing lawsuit. The SEPTA
General Manager also said that if SEPTA loses in
Common Pleas Court, they will appeal the case.

To read the most recent Philadelphia newspaper
articles on this continuing issue, click the following
link:

<
http://andrewcarnegie2.tripod.com/transit/septa/2007fundingcrisis.html#2007crisis >

gaw

Glenn A. Walsh
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