In the near future, I plan to introduce legislation to require senior passengers to be residents of Pennsylvania in order to receive senior public transportation discounts.
At a time when SEPTA has continually asked for increasing amounts of money to remain solvent, SEPTA should not be offering senior discounts to passengers that reside in other states. My legislation would simply require that to be approved for a senior program on any public transit system, including SEPTA, documentation must be provided that proves residency within the Commonwealth.
Seniors who are not taxpayers of this Commonwealth should not receive the advantages of free or reduced transit on the SEPTA system, or any other transit system, that is predominately subsidized by Pennsylvania taxpayers. SEPTA should use every opportunity available to improve their funding, accountability, and efficiency, and allowing seniors who live outside the Commonwealth to ride transit for free or reduced costs is unacceptable in the current financial reality SEPTA faces.
I understand the importance of the Free Transit Program for Senior Citizens, and the opportunities that the service of SEPTA provides for the seniors who reside within the Commonwealth; therefore, we should give every advantage to our seniors to use public transportation effectively by not giving out-of-state seniors free rides.
I hope you will consider co-sponsoring this important legislation that improves public transit accountability while providing greater opportunities for the Commonwealth’s senior citizens.