A Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) bus is driven in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
The Sword of Damocles is once again hanging over SEPTA’s head. Whether or not it gets used is anyone’s guess.
By Denise Clay-Murray
To get a better understanding of SEPTA’s announcement on Thursday that it would severely cut service if the system doesn’t get some help closing its $231 million deficit, let’s revisit a parable from the Roman philosopher Cicero.
Cicero told the story of Damocles, one of the manservants of King Dionysus II. Now, Damocles thought that Dionysus lived a pretty dope life. He had anything a man could want. Wine. Women. Song. Power. Lots of power. Tyrants tend to have lots of power.
But, like most tyrants, Dionysus wasn’t happy. Heavy lies the head that wears the crown, especially since in his case, more than a few folks wanted to cut it off. Like I said. Tyrant.
Damocles, as a manservant, didn’t understand why his boss was so unhappy. You’ve got a pretty dope life, he thought. So, Dionysus let Damocles see how the other half lived for a bit and switched places with him.
While Damocles didn’t mind the good food, the wine, the women or the song, he had an issue with the sword dangling over his head, held up only by a thin rope made of horsehair. Because that sword could fall down and cut him in half at any minute, the grandeur didn’t seem so grand.
At a press conference at SEPTA headquarters on Market Street, the transit authority let everyone know that the Sword of Damocles was hanging over its head, thanks to a combination of the end of federal COVID relief funds and increased operation expenses.
The City of Philadelphia might find itself cut as a result.
“For more than two years, we’ve been warning that this moment was coming,” Scott Sauer, SEPTA’s interim general manager said. “Now, with our new fiscal year starting on July 1, and a state funding solution still not in place, we have no choice but to budget based on the resources that we have available.”
The highlights, if I can call them that, of SEPTA’s doomsday budget include:
*A 20% service cut that would include eliminating 32 bus routes, shortening 16 others, reducing service on 88 bus routes and Regional Rail lines, and getting rid of special service lines like the Sports Express by Aug. 24. So if you’ve got tickets for the Thursday night NFL opener featuring your Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles, you might want to leave the house early. Real early.
*In addition to a complete hiring freeze, fares would go up to $2.90 in September due to a 20% rate increase, making one of the most expensive public transit systems in the country even more so;
*And, just in time for the onslaught of events scheduled for Philadelphia in 2026, another 15% reduction in service including the elimination of the Broad/Ridge Spur, five Regional Rail routes, 18 additional bus routes and two trolley routes — the 10 or T1 and the 15 or (G1) would be converted into bus routes. There would also be a 9 p.m. curfew for all SEPTA service, so if you rely on the Night Owl bus, or if you’re like me and want to hit a game night on New Year’s Eve, you might want to make sure you have extra money in the Uber or Lyft account that night.
I don’t know about you, but that looks like a pretty big sword hanging over the head of the City of Philadelphia if you ask me.
But like Sauer said, it’s not like folks didn’t know that the sword was hanging from the ceiling or how thin the rope keeping it from falling was.
SEPTA had already taken what it calls “aggressive austerity” measures, such as freezing pay for management and cutting third-party consultants for a savings of $30 million. The authority had also raised fares by 7.5% and ended free parking at Regional Rail stops.
The authority had also gotten $150 million in diverted federal highway funds from Gov. Josh Shapiro to stop these cuts from happening earlier in the year. But the hole it slightly closed reopens all the way on June 30.
During the press conference where Shapiro announced this help, state lawmakers promised to make a bipartisan effort to help not just SEPTA, but all of the Commonwealth’s public transit with dedicated funding. The Shapiro administration proposed a plan that was passed by the Democratically controlled State House of Representatives.
The Republicans in the Senate, however, haven’t lifted a finger. If you’ve been down this road before, you’re probably not surprised by that.
Now, SEPTA’s going to hold public meetings at SEPTA headquarters at 1234 Market St. about the FY 2026 Operating and Capital budgets so you can have your say about this stuff.
The meeting schedule is as follows:
*May 19 from 11a.m. to 5 p.m. (operating budget)
- May 20 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (operating budget)
*May 21 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (capital budget)
Since most of these hearings will be going on at a time when most of us are working to make the money needed to ride the SEPTA system, you can also send comments regarding the budget via email at: [email protected] and [email protected]. You can also leave a message on voicemail at: (215) 680-7772 (operating) and (215) 580-7771 (capital), or send written comments to: SEPTA Budgets, 1234 Market St., 9th Floor, Philadelphia, 19107.
You have until May 28 to comment. The proposals are set to go to the SEPTA board for a vote on June 26.
While you’re at it, you might also want to talk to your legislators in Harrisburg and tell them that you don’t want to have to leave a Philadelphia Phillies game in the 5th inning to avoid missing the Broad Street Subway.
Because the scissors are getting really close to the string holding up the Sword of Damocles.
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s employer, The Philadelphia Sunday SUN, the author’s organization, committee or other group or individual.
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