2026-10-06 - Committee on Transportation & Public Utilities

00:00Heat. Heat.

01:25>> [music]

01:29[bell]

01:30[music]

01:38[music]

01:44[music]

01:53[music]

01:57>> I now note that the hour has come. Miss

01:59McDonald, will you please call the role

02:01to take attendance? Members that are in

02:03attendance, will you please indicate

02:04that you're present when your name is

02:06called?

02:07>> Council member Brooks.

02:09>> Council member Jones.

02:11>> Council member Phillips

02:12>> present.

02:13>> Council member Skola.

02:14>> Vice Chair Young.

02:16>> Chair Driscoll

02:17>> present. Thank you. Aquarium of the

02:19committee is present and this hearing is

02:21now called to order. This is the public

02:22hearing of the committee on

02:24transportation and public utilities

02:26regarding resolution number 260441.

02:31Miss McDonald, will you please read the

02:33title of this resolution?

02:35>> Resolution 260441

02:38authorizing the committee on

02:39transportation and public utilities to

02:41hold hearings examining the status of

02:43trans transit mobility and access for

02:45Philadelphia students and the expansion

02:47of the SEPTA student fair program.

02:55>> Okay. Uh before we call the first panel,

02:58I'd like to recognize vice chair um to

03:03uh make some a few brief remarks.

03:06>> Vice Chair Young.

03:07>> Thank you, uh Mr. Chair. Um I want to

03:10thank Council Member Landal for bringing

03:12this important conversation to city

03:13council. Um you know, when we talk about

03:17um our young people, um and having

03:19access to different opportunities, it's

03:21important for them to be able to get to

03:24those opportunities, right? Um, and we

03:28want to, you know, I think on this body,

03:31um, ensure that, um, our young people

03:34have the ability to travel throughout

03:35the city, um, you know, to get to those

03:38places. Like we don't, opportunities

03:40aren't necessarily in the neighborhoods

03:43where our young people live, right? And

03:46I and I know this just from being a

03:47young person growing up in this city. We

03:49have to go other places um, and

03:52throughout travel throughout the city,

03:53right? is not everything is not within a

03:56four or five block radius from where we

03:58live at. Um we want to we have to travel

04:00across the city uh for those

04:02opportunities so we can you know be

04:05fulfilled so we can do the things that

04:07we like to do to keep us out of trouble

04:09to keep us safe. Um, you know, I was

04:11talking to a bunch of folks, um, you

04:14know, who go to a program called Level

04:16Up. And a lot of those folks who go to

04:18Level Up, which is out West Philly, live

04:20in North Philly, right? They travel to

04:23West Philly to go to a place where they

04:25feel safe, they feel comfort, right? And

04:27so we we need to be able to provide

04:30those young people um with that sense of

04:33safety, that sense of fulfillment for

04:35them um you know as they

04:39continue to grow in our city, right? And

04:40that honestly can break down certain

04:43barriers that we face in our city

04:44between certain neighborhoods and

04:46certain communities. Um know so

04:48providing them with this opportunity I

04:50think uh is only going to be a positive

04:52uh for our city. um expanding

04:54opportunities for kids to, you know, to

04:56allow them to travel um on SEPTA if they

05:00live, you know, a mile away from school,

05:02I think is something positive for our

05:04city, right? Cuz walking a mile uh to

05:07school um in certain neighborhoods that

05:09I represent, particularly in North

05:11Philadelphia, right, you going through

05:13three different neighborhoods at one

05:15time, right? And so that is something

05:17that is creates safety issues, right? We

05:21want we talk about these uh safety

05:23corridors near schools and things like

05:25that, these walking corridors like well

05:27some of those sometimes it may not be

05:29necessary if I can just hop on this bus

05:32and just go straight down and straight

05:33down and catch the 54 to where I got to

05:35get to rather than walking through you

05:37know this neighborhood that block um

05:41where you know folks may not know who I

05:44am. So, I want to thank again the

05:46council member uh Ru Landal for

05:48introducing this legislation to hold

05:50this hearing because again this is a

05:52very important conversation. Uh we have

05:54to keep the young people at the

05:55forefront of everything that we do

05:57because they literally are the future of

05:59our city. I remember being a young

06:01person in this city in these chambers,

06:03right? Thinking that one day I'm going

06:05to be an adult, right? And what

06:07opportunities are going to be there for

06:08me that we're creating policies now for

06:11the future uh generations and we have to

06:14keep that in mind as we legislate. Um we

06:16think about um you know how it only

06:19affects us, we're doing a disservice to

06:21our city. So thank you uh council member

06:23for having this conversation.

06:25>> Chair recognizes Councilman Skoa.

06:29Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and and thank

06:31you, Council Member Landau. Um, it's

06:34important as we go through these

06:36hearings to really understand the

06:38challenges that are out there and why

06:40it's important to provide uh

06:42transportation. We know that if people

06:47are going to use public transportation,

06:50we also know it has to be safe and

06:51clean. Uh, so those challenges are also

06:55something that have to be addressed

06:56during these conversations. And um the

07:00other thing is when we do provide these

07:02things, we also have to educate the

07:03people using them to make sure they tap

07:06their cards and use them so that we

07:08could get the proper data analysis

07:10looking at that information to

07:12understand who is using uh the services,

07:15how we can improve those services. So,

07:17it's more than just one thing that we're

07:19looking at here. And I really want to

07:21commend Council Member Landal for

07:23bringing this to us today and looking

07:25forward to the testimony um today to see

07:28how we can improve and make sure that

07:32public transit is accessible to all.

07:34Thank you,

07:37>> Vice Chair Young. So, Councilman uh

07:39council member Skulla, so we did

07:41introduce a resolution to examine uh the

07:44safety on SEPTA, particularly amongst

07:46our youth as well. So, we're going to be

07:48having that conversation in more uh in

07:50detail uh soon. So, just want to put

07:52that out there as well.

07:54>> And I'd like to recognize at this time

07:56uh the maker of the resolution, uh

07:58Councilman Jones,

08:00>> uh let me uh let me recognize Councilman

08:01Jones first.

08:03So, um,

08:06all young people aren't created equal.

08:09Uh, and

08:11the important part of this, uh, hearing

08:15is to make sure that those who who are

08:18doing the right thing get more access

08:20and opportunity. But for those who are

08:23doing the wrong thing, we need to have

08:25some checks and balances involved. And

08:28what do I mean by that? right outside

08:30these windows on our own plaza. From

08:35time to time there are meetups

08:37and some of them turn violent and some

08:40of them are usually youth on youth. Uh

08:43last week it was two females uh in a

08:46fierce fight. Uh and the young people

08:51that are doing this come from about nine

08:54schools within a mile of here. Um, my

08:58granddaughter goes to one of them, so

09:00I'm familiar with some of the nuances of

09:03why they meet up and use our plaza as

09:06their um, playground.

09:10So, as we look at safety, and I'm glad

09:14you mentioned that there would be

09:16another hearing about juvenile safety on

09:19SEPTA. [clears throat]

09:21For those who are going to a job at

09:23Wawwa or McDonald's and they have to

09:26work the later shift, we need to make

09:28sure that they can get to and from that

09:30job safely. But for those who abuse the

09:33privilege that wind up down here

09:35fighting, we need need to have a process

09:38by which we say your

09:41SEPTAR is on pause for a month and when

09:46you get your act together, we will

09:49reinstate it. Providing that kind of

09:52check and balance is equally important.

09:56I had the hardest time working with Adam

10:00Gear and the public safety unit and the

10:03police commissioner trying to avoid

10:05those fights so that it didn't wind up

10:08on CNN

10:10uh during the uh celebration 250th

10:13anniversary of our nation. So as we try

10:17to take care of the good young people,

10:21we need to also have a

10:25provision that says you use this uh

10:29transpass in a hurtful way and we may

10:32have to we may have to give you time out

10:35for a month. So as we look at both sides

10:37of this um I think this hearing is

10:40important. Thank you.

10:43>> Thank you member Jones. And now I'd like

10:45to recognize the maker of the resolution

10:46and uh Councilwoman Councilwoman Landal,

10:49thank you for your leadership on this

10:51very important topic.

10:53>> Thank you so [clears throat] much. Thank

10:54you, Chair Driscoll, Vice Chair Young,

10:56and the whole committee uh for convening

10:59uh this incredibly important

11:01conversation. You know, I just sent my

11:03son away to college, but for the last 18

11:05years, I was a Philadelphia public

11:07school parent. Like many parents across

11:09the city, I did everything I could to

11:11support him so he could participate in

11:14extracurricular activities, have a

11:16part-time job to put a few bucks in his

11:18pocket, and always keep a healthy social

11:20life with his friends. For parents

11:23throughout Philadelphia, all of that

11:25often came down to whether or not their

11:27kid could get around the city using

11:28public transportation. And

11:30unfortunately, the city and SEPTA are

11:32missing the mark when it comes to giving

11:34kids the opportunity to get around

11:36easily, especially for students who have

11:39two working parents, a single working

11:41parent, or other scenarios where it

11:43could be challenging to provide

11:45transportation.

11:47That's why I wanted to hold today's

11:48hearing. We need to explore solutions to

11:51help our students get around so they can

11:53have access to all of the opportunities

11:55Philly has to offer. and universal

11:58student affairs could be a part of that

12:01solution.

12:02Today's hearing isn't about getting kids

12:04to and from school. This is about

12:07Philadelphia being their school. This is

12:10about their education, not as teenagers,

12:13but as people. We know that afterchool

12:16programs can be a key to a child's

12:18safety, social well-being, personal

12:20interests, and overall development. In

12:23fact, I want to commend uh Council

12:25Member Phillips and Council Member

12:26Thomas for their incredible work they've

12:28done in that space, especially with the

12:30after-school hype, which is a great

12:32example of that kind of programming

12:35through afterchool sports, through

12:37part-time jobs, through workforce

12:40development, through arts programs. All

12:41of this creates a student who wants to

12:43participate in Philadelphia.

12:46But we as a city need to commit to

12:48giving them that opportunity.

12:52SEPTA is their key to the city and due

12:55to restrictions to student passes, we

12:57are holding that key at arms length.

13:01Currently, SEPTA student passes restrict

13:03the hours and days of the week a student

13:05can use the passes as well as

13:07restrictions for kids who live 1.5 miles

13:10or further from their school. If we want

13:13our children to grow up well, to become

13:15Philadelphiaians who are proud of their

13:17city, we need to expand their access to

13:19their hometown. When we tell our

13:22students that they need to take every

13:24advantage offered to them, we have to

13:26actually offer them that advantage

13:28without the time and distance

13:30restrictions attached to a $2.90 price

13:33tag one way. And for some families,

13:37almost $6 every once in a while is not

13:40an issue. But for families with multiple

13:42childrens, family with two working

13:44parents or single parent, kids who have

13:46to do this every single day, families

13:48already living through an affordability

13:50crisis, every penny counts. It's not

13:54just an access issue or an availability

13:56issue. It's an issue of economic

13:58justice. And for those families, even

14:01more vital than they uh is that they can

14:04experience and develop their

14:06developmental advantage they can access,

14:09which should include a way for kids to

14:11get around to the opportunities

14:13available to them seamlessly. A

14:16universal student fair program can be a

14:19piece of the puzzle to keep our kids

14:21safe, to keep them progressing, to keep

14:23them proud to be a Philadelphiaian. I

14:26look forward to today's hearing. I hope

14:28to learn more about our children, how

14:30our children view their time, money, and

14:31access to opportunities under the

14:33current system. And I thank you, Council

14:36Member Young, for reminding us that we

14:38are going to have another hearing on

14:39safety on SEPTA. And that the SEPTA

14:42passes go till 8:00 p.m. at night. And

14:45oftent times the issues on Dworth Plaza

14:47are happening at 3:00, 4:00, and 5:00

14:51when the passes are active. So this is a

14:54fully different issue. And what we are

14:56really looking at is

17:15Mic check. There you

17:18>> mic check. Yay.

17:20>> There we go.

17:21>> I think we're good. Miss. McDonald, will

17:23you please call the first panel?

17:25>> Dr. Tony Watlington, superintendent of

17:27the school district of Philadelphia, and

17:29Eric Johansson, chief financial officer

17:32for the Southeastern Pennsylvania

17:33Transportation Authority.

17:43Yes, please.

17:51>> Good afternoon, Eric. Good afternoon,

17:53Superintendent. Would you please state

17:54your name for the record and proceed

17:56with your testimony?

18:03>> Uh, uh, good afternoon. Tony Watlington,

18:05senior school superintendent.

18:08You'd like me to proceed, Mr. Chairman?

18:10Uh, thank you. Good afternoon, uh, Chair

18:12Driscoll, Vice Chair Young, uh, Council

18:15Member Landal, and members of the

18:17Committee on Transportation and Public

18:19Utilities. I'm T, uh, Tony Watlington,

18:22Senior, Superintendent of the School

18:23District of Philadelphia. Uh with me

18:25today are Colonel Oz Hill, our deputy

18:28superintendent for operations, Mike

18:30Herbsman's, the district's chief

18:31financial officer, uh Terresa Fleming,

18:34chief operations officer, and other

18:37members of our uh leadership team. Uh I

18:40want to thank you in advance uh also,

18:42Chair Driscoll, for the opportunity that

18:44you've afforded me uh to perhaps step

18:46out just a bit early uh uh depending on

18:49how long the council uh hearing uh runs.

18:53and certainly uh the other members of

18:55the team will stay for the entire

18:57entirety of the hearing. Uh also thank

19:00you for the opportunity to testify on

19:01the status of transit mobility and

19:04access for Philadelphia students and the

19:06possible expansion of the SEPTA student

19:08fair program. Philadelphia has one of

19:11the largest districts in the country uh

19:13with almost uh 200,000 scholars and we

19:16know our students lives extend well

19:18beyond the school day. The district

19:20understands the goals of this resolution

19:23and we welcome the chance to work with

19:25our city council, SEPTA, and state

19:26partners uh to find a way to at least

19:29think about funding it. Uh the school

19:31district of Philadelphia's Department of

19:32Transportation Services provides safe

19:34and reliable transportation for eligible

19:37students attending district schools,

19:38charter schools, non-public schools, as

19:41well as early intervention programs. Uh

19:44transportation options may include

19:46yellow school buses, school vehicles,

19:48sepa, SEPTA student fair cards, and

19:52parent transportation reimbursement.

19:54Uh SEPTA student fair cards in their

19:56current form have been in use since the

19:582001202

20:01uh school year. Under the Pennsylvania

20:04public school code, uh, school districts

20:06may provide transportation to students

20:08who live more than one point miles from

20:11their assigned school or whose walking

20:14route PINDOT designates as hazardous.

20:17Students may also qualify based on

20:19individual circumstances, including

20:21their individualized education plan or

20:23IEP. Uh within Septus service area,

20:26students in grades 7 through 12 who live

20:291.5 miles or further from school are

20:31generally eligible for a student fair

20:33card. Some students in fifth grade and

20:36sixth grade may be eligible for and use

20:39SEPTA student fair cards in limited

20:41circumstances. The student fair card is

20:44a reusable chip card that students use

20:46for to board SEPTA buses, trolleys,

20:50subways, and the regional rail. Uh

20:53unlike the SEPTA transpass,

20:56a card has no monetary value until it is

21:00assigned to a student and activated by

21:03SEPTA. The district distributes cards at

21:06each school and students keep the same

21:08card for the entire school year.

21:11Use is measured in taps

21:14uh septus uh term for each boarding.

21:18Cards are limited to eight taps per day

21:20and only work between 5:30 a.m. and 8

21:24o'clock pm

21:27on school days. Each card is tied to a

21:30set school calendar. So, it does not

21:31work the card does not work on holidays,

21:34doesn't work on weekends, and on

21:36non-school days. The school district

21:38pays septa upfront. Uh we report the

21:41eligible transportation costs to the

21:43Pennsylvania Department of Education and

21:46we receive state reimbur reimbursements

21:49uh as PTE determines is eligible. In the

21:53past, this has been a 100% this has been

21:55100% of the district's eligible costs.

21:59This is not inclusive of some minimal

22:02exceptions

22:04uh to the Pennsylvania Department of

22:06Eligibility of Education's eligibility

22:08possibility.

22:10Notably, the changes proposed by this

22:12resolution to the student fair card

22:14program, which fall outside of the PDE

22:18or the Pennsylvania Department of

22:19Education eligibility criteria, will not

22:23result in reimbursement from the state.

22:26Currently, the student fair card program

22:28generally includes eligible 7th through

22:3012th grade students. For district

22:33students only, the current projected

22:36cost for fiscal year 27 student fair

22:39cards is 15,18,455,

22:44representing approximately 29,919

22:48district students. The total projected

22:51cost for FY27 of the student fair card

22:54program, including district operated

22:56schools, as well as charter schools,

22:59non-public schools, and other qualifying

23:02school programs,

23:04is 30,150,580

23:08representing roughly 59,76

23:12students that meet the eligibility

23:15guidelines of the Pennsylvania

23:16Department of Education.

23:18The school district of Philadelphia

23:20clearly understands that adolescence

23:21thrive with increased autonomy and

23:24independence.

23:26This includes the ability to travel to

23:28and from school to afterchool activities

23:31and jobs

23:33and to the many great cultural offerings

23:36in Philadelphia.

23:38Under current rules, a student who lives

23:40less than 1.5 miles from his or her

23:44school, has an after-school job, has

23:47weekend activities, or joins a summer

23:50program cannot use their SEPTA student

23:52fair card to get there. The resolution

23:56before you correctly identifies these

23:58gaps.

24:00The school district supports the

24:01underlying goals of expanding student

24:03fair card eligibility and ours. The

24:06reality, however, is that these changes

24:08dramatically increase the cost of the

24:11student fair card program. The district

24:14and SEPTA had a preliminary discussion,

24:16not yet fully vetted nor approved, about

24:19a potential rate reduction to include

24:22the expansion criteria.

24:25Using that rate, the additional cost of

24:28expansion for district operated charter

24:30and non-public schools is approximately

24:3363,788,61.

24:38When doing this analysis, the district

24:40looked at expanding the student fair

24:41card as follows. One, expanding from

24:45current 5 days a week to 7 days a week.

24:47Two, expanding from grades 7 through 12

24:50to grades 5 through 12. and three

24:53expanding from the school year use to

24:56full calendar use. The full breakdown of

24:58these calculations are attached uh in

25:01the uh exhibit uh that was shared with

25:04council ahead of this hearing. My

25:06conclusions. Our conclusion.

25:09Providing students safe, reliable, and

25:12affordable access to transit helps them

25:14get to school, to their afterchool

25:17activities, and to jobs, and to the many

25:20cultural and educational opportunity our

25:23city has to offer.

25:25Expanding the student fair card to

25:28include more great more grades,

25:31weekends, summer months, etc. would give

25:34our young people greater independence

25:36and quite frankly greater opportunity.

25:39At the same time, we want to be candid

25:42about the scale of the investment. Our

25:45preliminary conversations with SEPTA as

25:48about a reduced rate suggest, as we

25:51shared earlier, that the cost could be

25:54lowered to roughly $63.8 million. But

25:57that number uh Chair Driscoll and

26:00members council members has not been

26:02fully vetted or approved.

26:05Further, the district's current

26:07arrangement with the Commonwealth in

26:09which the Pennsylvania Department of

26:12Education reimbures eligible

26:15transportation costs would not extend to

26:18this expanded use.

26:20The district is unable to absorb these

26:22costs within its existing budget without

26:26and I want to underscore without taking

26:29resources away from other vital

26:31education services

26:34with a dependable funding source.

26:36However, we are eager and would be eager

26:40to be a partner in making this vision a

26:42reality. [clears throat]

26:43Uh thank you me council member Landal

26:46uh and members of the committee for your

26:48leadership on this issue and for the

26:51opportunity to testify. Uh my colleagues

26:54uh from the school district are here

26:56with me today and certainly at the

26:58appropriate time. Chair Driscoll will be

26:59happy to answer any questions you may

27:00have. And thank you again for your uh

27:03generous opportunity to allow me to

27:05leave a bit early depending on how long

27:07the hearing uh lasts. But I can assure

27:09you that all the members of the school

27:11district will be here for the entirety

27:12of the hearing. Thank you very much.

27:16>> Thank you, Superintendent Eric, you're

27:17going to testify.

27:19>> Yeah,

27:19>> please proceed. [clears throat]

27:21>> Eric Johansson, I'm the treasurer and

27:23CFO at SEPTA.

27:25Good afternoon, Chair Driscoll, Vice

27:27Chair Young, Council Member Landau, and

27:30members of Philadelphia City Council. My

27:33name is Eric Johansson, and I am SEPTA's

27:35treasur and chief financial officer.

27:38Thank you for the opportunity to testify

27:40regarding resolution number 260441,

27:44discuss SEPTA's role in student

27:45transportation and provide an update on

27:48our recent partnership with the school

27:49district of Philadelphia related to fair

27:51compliance.

27:53I am joined by Deputy Transit Chief uh

27:56James Zuggie and staff from various

27:58SEPTA departments working on student

28:00transportation.

28:02SEPTA is grateful for council's

28:03continued support of SEPTA service. The

28:06city of Philadelphia's fiscal year 2027

28:09budget provides $135 million for SEPTA

28:13operations, enabling SEPTA to meet its

28:16statemandated local match requirement.

28:19The city budget also funds the city's

28:21participation in key advantage and the

28:23zero fair program. At the same time,

28:26efficiency and accountability measures

28:28have reduced SEPTA's structural budget

28:30deficit more than $21 million without

28:33impacting service delivery. City funding

28:36also supports initiatives that are

28:38delivering safer, cleaner, and more

28:40reliable service. Serious crime declined

28:4337% from 2023 to 2025, while rider

28:47satisfaction surveys show consistent

28:50improvement.

28:52SEPTA is an important provider of

28:54student transportation, and we value the

28:56trust that students and families place

28:58in us to provide safe, reliable

29:00transportation to and from school. In

29:03Pennsylvania, the Department of

29:04Education establishes guidelines for

29:06which student transportation costs,

29:08including public transportation, are

29:10eligible for reimbursement and manages

29:13the funding directly with school

29:14districts. School districts determine

29:17individual eligibility based on those

29:19guidelines.

29:20As published on the School District of

29:22Philadelphia and SEPTA website, students

29:24in grades 7 through 12 who live 1.5

29:26miles or more from school are generally

29:29eligible for the SEPTA student fair

29:30card. The school district determines

29:32eligibility at its sole discretion based

29:34on Department of Education guidelines.

29:37Eligible students can use the card for

29:39free travel on SEPTA to and from school

29:41on weekdays during the school year with

29:44up to eight trips per day. In recent

29:46years, SEPTA and the school district

29:48have expanded eligible hours to 5:30

29:51a.m. through 8:00 p.m. and has included

29:53now regional rail.

29:56As the provider of this service, SEPTA

29:58must receive appropriate payment for

29:59student transportation as any provider

30:01would. While travel is free with a valid

30:04student fair card, students, like all

30:06riders, present their fair at the

30:08fairbox return style. Tapping a fair

30:10card ensures that each trip is

30:12accurately counted and that SEPTA

30:14receives the appropriate payment. When

30:17students do not tap their cards, those

30:19trips are not captured in student in

30:21SEPTA's writership data, resulting in a

30:23significant undercount of student trips

30:25and deficient reimbursement to SEPTA

30:27through the school district and

30:29department of education agreement. SEPTA

30:31has worked closely with the school

30:33district to address student fair

30:35compliance. This year, under the new

30:37school district SEPTA reimbursement

30:39agreement, we have expanded outreach to

30:41school administrators, staff, parents,

30:44guardians, and students. And I want to

30:46thank Dr. Watlington and his team for

30:48their partnership on this proactive

30:50program

30:52announced by the school district in May.

30:54The student fair compliance initiative

30:56provides students, families, and school

30:57communities with information and

30:59resources to help students better

31:01understand the responsibilities of SEPTA

31:03riders, the importance of tapping their

31:05fair cards, and the consequences of fair

31:07evasion.

31:09A key component is the diversion program

31:11in which students found to have evaded

31:13fairs receive contact reports rather

31:16than citations.

31:18These reports are shared with the

31:19students school and a parent or guardian

31:21to help identify and address the

31:23underlying reasons for fair

31:25non-compliance.

31:26Each school also has a designated

31:28transportation liaison who serves as a

31:30point of contact for questions and

31:32assistance. This approach addresses

31:35compliant issues before they escalate

31:37while helping students develop

31:38responsible riding habits.

31:41SEPTA is supporting these efforts by

31:42engaging with transportation liaison and

31:45promoting student fair compliance

31:46through our social media channels. We

31:49hope you can help us by sharing these

31:50posts with your constituents and

31:52followers.

31:54When every rider, including students,

31:56pay their fair and follow the rules, it

31:58helps ensure safe and reliable

31:59transportation for everyone. SEPTA is

32:02taking a comprehensive approach to fair

32:04evasion which includes installing new

32:06full height fair gates at 10 stations

32:09which have reduced fair evasion by 37 to

32:1175% at those locations.

32:15This fiscal year, SEPTA will begin

32:16installing new gates at 13 additional

32:19stations and retrofit legacy turn styles

32:21to collect necessary revenue to support

32:23current service levels.

32:26Decisions regarding expanded school

32:28service for school-aged children are

32:30beyond SEPTA's purview and outside the

32:32scope of the current Department of

32:34Education transportation program. SEPTA

32:37stands ready to support any level of

32:39student transportation. However, the

32:41associated cost must be fully funded.

32:44Expanding eligibility beyond the

32:46Department of Education reimbursement

32:47guidelines would create a significant

32:49recurring expense requiring an ongoing

32:51funding solution.

32:53SEPTA is proud of its long-standing role

32:55in connecting students to education and

32:57extracurricular activities. Student

32:59transportation can serve as a gateway to

33:02lifelong transit ridership and its

33:04benefits. We appreciate council

33:06convening today's hearing and look

33:08forward to continuing our partnership on

33:10transportation initiatives that improve

33:12the lives of your constituents. I'm

33:14available to answer any questions.

33:19>> So, I do have one question before I

33:20recognize some of the members of the

33:22committee. um the agreement with the

33:25school district and the Commonwealth,

33:27the Pennsylvania Department of

33:28Education, uh do

33:32does the Department of Education need

33:33enabling legislation to financially

33:36expand or do they have the discretion if

33:38the money was available? Uh how would

33:41that work? So my understanding and this

33:45is my understanding is that the SE that

33:48the agreement is between SEPTA and the

33:50school district and um we actually did

33:53engage last year in conversations with

33:55the state on this and they confirmed

33:56that understanding um and that

33:59establishes the basis for the

34:01recognition of the usage which as we've

34:03discussed is based on the students

34:05having cards assigned and then tapping

34:07them on our vehicles and then those

34:09costs are then reimbursed as eligible.

34:12from the state. The extent to which the

34:15pot of money available for those

34:17programs across the state could grow, I

34:19believe, is a Commonwealth budget

34:21question.

34:22>> Okay.

34:25>> Question.

34:26>> Yeah, Vice Chair Young.

34:29>> Um, so Dr. Watson, you you mentioned um

34:32first of all, good afternoon. Um you you

34:35mentioned that the

34:38funds for the passes for students can

34:41get passes if they're like one and a

34:43half miles away or pendot defines uh

34:46their route as hazardous. Can you tell

34:48us like what is that? What is hazardous

34:50defined as?

34:51>> Uh yes. I'm [clears throat] going to ask

34:53uh Deputy Superintendent Ozil uh uh who

34:56oversees or either the COO uh to speak

34:59to that. Uh, I think your question is

35:01about those anomaly kind of situations

35:04that don't fit.

35:05>> Yeah.

35:05>> The 1.5 mile mark. Yes. Uh, I recall

35:08seeing some come across to my desk. I

35:10just don't remember. So, I'll uh ask the

35:11colonel if he'll speak to that.

35:15>> Thank you very much. Um, Mr. Vice

35:17Chairman for the question. uh pin dot uh

35:22determines that a hazardous roadway can

35:25be defined as a result of the volume of

35:28traffic based on accidents and incidents

35:33uh relative to that uh roadway. there is

35:36a process

35:38uh of applying for the analysis for them

35:43to perform the analysis uh for

35:45consideration and we have done that uh

35:48in the past with several roadways uh

35:51where the volume of traffic the uh

35:54number of accidents and incidents in

35:57terms of uh injuries uh are considered

36:01and uh for adjusting or including uh

36:05different roadways.

36:06>> Okay. So, they only take into account

36:10traffic incidents, not necessarily take

36:12into like the overall safety of a

36:14specific route or corridor or street

36:17that that happens. Um because I'm just

36:19thinking about, you know, my district

36:20for example where, you know, there

36:22violence violent incidents occur on

36:25routes to schools, but so that isn't

36:27taken into consideration um when they're

36:30trying to define what a hazardous road

36:32is. It's only traffic incidents. Uh sir,

36:35I don't want to uh misspeak. Uh I do

36:38believe that that's part of the

36:39criteria, but I as opposed to uh

36:42providing incorrect information in terms

36:44of the comprehensive and totality of

36:47their criteria, uh would like to take

36:49that as a homework assignment.

36:52>> Thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you,

36:54Mr. Chair. I'd

36:56>> like to note the presence of Council

36:58Member Kendra Brooks. And at this time,

37:00I'd like to recognize member Phillips.

37:07Thank you, Chairman Driscoll.

37:10Uh, so the first question before

37:12council, um, I just want to ask you,

37:15your testimony, uh, Dr. Watton, thanks

37:17for coming in, uh, today. Estimates that

37:20expanding the student fair card program

37:22would require $63.8 million in

37:26additional funding. But that estimate

37:28assumes several expansions

37:30simultaneously. Grades 5 through 7,

37:337-day access and year- round access.

37:36>> Have you modeled these changes

37:37separately

37:39uh so that council can understand what

37:41each individual expansion would cost?

37:44>> I have.

37:45>> Uh yes, and I'll defer to the uh SEPTA

37:48representative to give you those data.

37:49Dr. Phillips.

37:51So uh SEPt and the school district have

37:53been working um hand inand on these

37:56estimates and we modeled three different

37:58scenarios. Um the first scenario we

38:01modeled that used the current time, date

38:04and month restrictions um but expanded

38:07the program to everyone. Um so all

38:10200,000 students across all of the

38:12various types of schools that Dr.

38:13Watlington testified to. So, current

38:16time, date, and month restrictions, but

38:18total population eligibility would cost

38:21an extra 35 million.

38:24Then you expand um but uh you have it

38:28only during school year, but you remove

38:30the day and the time restrictions. So,

38:33you make it se 247, but during the

38:36school year, that would cost an extra 50

38:38million. And then the um $60 plus

38:42million number would be the 12 months

38:44out of the year. So those were the three

38:45scenarios that we looked at anywhere

38:47from 35 to the 65 million.

38:51>> Awesome. Thanks for sharing that. Here's

38:54the more important question that I have.

38:55Why I kind of started with that question

38:57is for me

39:01we want to be able to get students to

39:03the afterchool program internship or

39:05jobs safely, you know, and all if if

39:09possible without fear, right? If

39:11possible. Um, so one of the things I was

39:14thinking about is the idea of suggesting

39:16a potential pilot of this or making it a

39:19very targeted program. So rather than

39:22immediately expanding the program to

39:24every student in the district, could we

39:27create a targeted transportation benefit

39:29for students who have verified

39:32after school programs, summer

39:34internships, employment, recreational

39:37enrichment programs. Uh for example, if

39:39an approved program provider or

39:42coordinator verifies that a student is

39:43enrolled and actively participating in

39:46the afterchool program or they're

39:48working somewhere, you know, could we

39:50temporarily expand the students student

39:54affair card eligibility for the duration

39:56of that program? If so, what techn you

40:00know, what do we need for different

40:02types of technology? Or actually,

40:04probably not. you just say just add

40:06access to their card, but I just want to

40:08know what would be needed uh to make

40:11that happen in terms of costs if we

40:12wanted to try that out. Have you thought

40:14about that route as well?

40:16>> So, we did not specifically model that,

40:18but I think we'd be open to those

40:20conversations to try to figure out how

40:22to model that, what number of eligible

40:25students we'd have to add. The

40:26calculations are based on, just to be

40:28fully transparent, um, numbers we

40:31received from the district of total of

40:33student enrollment and then estimates

40:36based on the currently eligible and

40:38currently not eligible, what percentage

40:40of those students would actually ride if

40:42the uh, eligibility was expanded. So, in

40:46some ways, we don't really actually know

40:48that the utilization would be in the

40:50future state because we can only really

40:52model it.

40:53>> Yeah. And council member Dr. Phillips, I

40:55I would just simply add we'd be happy to

40:56be partners with our uh SEPTA to uh dig

41:00deeper into that. At present, we don't

41:03have a comprehensive list of every

41:05student who has an internship, a job or

41:08some uh activity that we are aware of,

41:11but uh be happy to be a partner in

41:14digging

41:14>> deeper and that data could be helpful

41:17because Dr. Walter, thanks for sharing

41:19that. uh because I was trying to figure

41:21out do we currently have a list of

41:24students that are missing or declining

41:27after school programs or jobs because

41:30transportation is a barrier. So you know

41:33maybe gathering that information

41:36and part of your research team if they

41:39can begin assessing that information can

41:41give us a better sense of like the value

41:43and need of that like or are some

41:45students like I can't go to this after

41:47school program. I remember I used to run

41:49a program called Youth Action and we

41:51would literally fund students uh SEPTA

41:54tokens at the time. [laughter]

41:57We would literally provide students with

41:59SEPTA tokens and you know that was a

42:02cost out of the nonprofit but it was we

42:05did want SEPTO. At one point we did

42:07reach out to SEPTA to see if there was a

42:08program where we could say hey these

42:10students are coming to our program can

42:12we get a reduced fair or exemption? um

42:15but they said no and the program was

42:17almost every Saturday. Um so those

42:20things do help nonprofits and

42:22incentivize young people. So maybe and

42:25we didn't have that many. We had about

42:2710 students that needed it. So you know

42:30I'm not sure if every student needs it

42:32but it would help if we can support that

42:34barrier. But I mean those are the

42:36questions. I mean that's what I'm you

42:37know I'm thinking. And then also and my

42:40last comment is this. Um, I I just want

42:43to note that for the record, I've been

42:46thinking deeply about the issue that,

42:49you know, Council Member Jones brought

42:51up around there being a lot of activity

42:55at these SEPTA bus stations as well as

42:58subway stations. Yeah. And around young

43:02people not necessarily behaving in the

43:05best positive way. I did suggest to this

43:07to Scott Sour, the CEO, that we should

43:11have a safe passage program where we

43:13have trusted mentors or organizations or

43:17adults who could be there beyond besides

43:20the law enforcement, standing beside the

43:22law enforcement, just greeting the

43:25children, the young people every single

43:27day, getting to know their names because

43:29a lot of these young people don't want

43:30to fight and they don't want to carry

43:32on. But if you actually have an adult

43:34present that they're used to seeing, I'm

43:37pretty sure that the a lot of the

43:38recklessness that happens probably can

43:40stop at some of these larger terminals

43:43such as Frankfurt, 52nd Market, Broaden

43:46Al, and so forth. And some of the other

43:49schools like the other day I saw Dobbins

43:51had this huge fight that was on social

43:53media. Um, we can possibly have some

43:56trusted messengers there. So those

43:58things we can prevent. So, I just want

44:00to if that's the concern, which I can

44:02understand, right? I want us to just

44:04start thinking about that as well. I

44:06mean, I was hoping we could work on that

44:08or if you thought of that as an

44:10alternative as well before.

44:13>> Yeah. Thank you. All right. Thank you,

44:15Chairman.

44:17>> Member Jones.

44:22So, I want to go back to the math and

44:24thank you

44:26uh for reiterating safety and we know

44:29that hearing is coming. Um, but did you

44:33say to us that the current program with

44:36the current number of students is 30

44:38million?

44:42The yes, the current program

44:46is based on

44:49taps of eligible students and the

44:52current contract between SEPTA and the

44:55district guarantees SEPTA a minimum of

44:57$30 million.

44:58>> And with the addition of charter school

45:03students, how well first of all, how

45:05many

45:06uh public public school students are in

45:10that program?

45:11among that $30 million uh that he just

45:14referenced, uh 29,919

45:18or 50.11%

45:20uh public school students. Uh uh the

45:2416.73%

45:279,999

45:29are non-public and the charter

45:31population among that is 33,000 I mean

45:3433

45:36uh uh approximately 33% public charter.

45:39Currently we are paying for charter

45:41school students as well.

45:43>> That's correct.

45:45>> All right. Um and so

45:48the additional hours

45:51would add how much money?

45:54>> So the the three models were the um just

45:58adding to the um current restrictions on

46:03the card but for all the student

46:04populations would add 35 million. So

46:08currently, just to give you some of the

46:10numbers, of the 200,000 students that

46:13are in this population, 60,000 of them

46:16are eligible for a card, um 49,000 of

46:20those cards are assigned and we estimate

46:24about 45,000 of them are being used

46:26every day.

46:28>> So I would say this, um, Mr. chairman

46:32and I, you know, I worry about the

46:34public safety aspect, the gang fights

46:36out on the plaza aside, the good

46:40outweighs the bad

46:42that there are more kids who will young

46:45people who will choose to do something

46:46positive, mentorships, jobs, after

46:50school activities, sports, than the

46:54small number of young people who choose

46:56to use this tool to get around to

46:59meetups. So, um, if we add

47:03the, uh, safety factor and make sure

47:06that we put in some provision that if

47:08somebody misuses their card or commits a

47:12crime with while on SEPTA with a card

47:16that we have a way to track and then

47:19suspend their card for a period of time.

47:22I'm on board with this because the good

47:24does outweigh the bad.

47:27Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

47:30Member Brooks.

47:32>> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I really want

47:36to like I want to highlight some of my

47:38colleagues uh thoughts on the SEPTA

47:43passes primarily around out of school

47:45time program. I do believe the good

47:47outweighs the bad. And as a parent of

47:49mult well my children are adults now,

47:52can't believe I'm saying this. Um,

47:55I remember when the trans pass ended at

47:596:00 or 7:00 and I had to figure out how

48:01to get them from the after school

48:03program because it went a little later

48:05and SEPTA was a little aggressive

48:07depending on what bus route they were on

48:09whether they can get on the bus. Um,

48:12and to council member Jones's point, the

48:14good outweighs the bad because I think

48:16the more majority of our children would

48:17like to be connected to some level of

48:19out of school time program, which a lot

48:21of these programs are also funded by

48:24city, state, and federal dollars. Is

48:27there a way that those programmings

48:29through however it can come together to

48:32make up the rest of the money needed to

48:34fill that deficit for transpasses to be

48:37extended for those additional hours? um

48:40to make sure we have quality positive

48:42out of school time programs for

48:44children. And my other thought um based

48:47on uh your testimony, it said that

48:5152,000

48:52out of the 63,000 passes

48:56um acquired were distributed. So there

48:58was 11,000 transpasses that are What

49:01happens? Does the money go back into a

49:04pod? Is it something we already bought

49:06and we're out of money for? I'm just

49:08trying to understand what happens with

49:10passes that don't be don't don't don't

49:12that aren't distributed to young folks.

49:16>> So this this is currently what SEPTA and

49:19the school district are partnering on is

49:21making sure that every student that's

49:23eligible has an assigned card and that

49:25those assigned cards are being tapped

49:27regularly. There's an intensive effort

49:29going on between SEPTA school district

49:31central and then the district

49:34transportation liaison at the local

49:36schools to make sure that those cards

49:38are being distributed. And we have

49:40regular meetings and monthly reports on

49:42past distribution. Uh intensive efforts

49:45to make sure lost and stolen cards are

49:47being very quickly uh put back into kids

49:50hands. Um so we're trying to get into

49:53all of that data right now. Um, but not

49:57I think I think I just want to be clear

49:59that the the 60,000 number is they're

50:02eligible, but I don't think every

50:04eligible card gets assigned necessarily.

50:07>> So, what about the allocation of the

50:09money that goes to the el to those is it

50:11use it or lose it? I'm trying to get

50:13clarity as to what's happening with the

50:15other cards, the other cards that aren't

50:18being distributed. So from SEPTA's

50:20perspective, we're only billing the

50:22districts not only what's being

50:23assigned, but what's being tapped. So

50:26we're not getting paid on even what's

50:27getting assigned. So we're getting paid

50:29if the card is used on our system. Um so

50:33there is no payment necessarily for the

50:35assigned cards that aren't tapped. And

50:37that's why we're really working hard

50:39with the district to make sure that if

50:41the cards are in the hands of the

50:42students, they are being tapped at the

50:44turn styles. And my other question is

50:46the 1.5 miles is it

50:511.5 miles doesn't always mean a safe

50:54walking distance depending on where you

50:56live. What are the provisions that can

50:59be added to expand that? For example,

51:04um I don't know if you live across busy

51:07intersections, the best way to get there

51:09may be public transportation as opposed

51:11to, you know, crossing a boulevard or an

51:14expressway or whatever situation. Are

51:17there provisions made for that?

51:21>> Uh

51:21>> within the 1.5

51:24is a distance. It isn't like a

51:27>> it doesn't take in consider. I'm

51:28thinking like street maps for canvasers.

51:32>> Council Brooks, I'd like I'm sorry. I

51:34didn't mean to interrupt.

51:35>> No, no. So,

51:36>> I would like to speak to two things. Uh

51:38I'll speak to the first and ask uh

51:39Colonel Hill to the second to your

51:41previous question about uh uh that he

51:45just responded to. We are working very

51:48closely with administrators and families

51:50about the importance of using those taps

51:53and uh what kind of trouble and and

51:56problem it cause with fair causes with

51:58fair evasion. So we're working very

52:00closely with SEPTA on that issue

52:03relative to the 1.55 mile question. I'll

52:06ask the colonel to speak specific to

52:07that.

52:09>> Thank you very much, Council Member

52:11Brooks. Uh the uh one there are

52:14provisions just um as it was uh asked by

52:19council member Young or Vice Chair Young

52:22regarding

52:24uh exceptions to that 1.5

52:27mile distance based on hazards. uh we

52:32petition or request um that PINDOT

52:38performs the analysis to provide uh the

52:42distinction that a roadway presents a

52:46hazard uh to uh pedestrians and so with

52:51the designation

52:53uh we are able to provide transportation

52:55with in inside of that 1.5 mile

52:58distance. Uh, one of the homework

53:01assignments that I have right now is to

53:03provide uh to the vice chair and the

53:07committee um what those specific uh

53:12conditions are or or the criteria is for

53:16PINDOT's decision.

53:18>> Okay, thank you so much. That's all I

53:20have.

53:21>> Vice Chair,

53:23>> thank you. Uh so we we have in this city

53:27we have these circ centers which are

53:29like these after school programs for um

53:32you know that the city sponsors. I know

53:34council member Dr. Phillips mentioned

53:36that you know and other folks mentioned

53:38that these are this is city money going

53:40toward these programs like council

53:41member Brooks mentioned as well. So

53:43these circ programs are over at 9:00 but

53:46your passes are done at 8 right and so

53:49that's that's another barrier that is

53:51presented. Um, I went to watch VS play

53:55in their homecoming game last week. That

53:57game wasn't over until I don't know, it

54:00didn't start till 7, right? So, it was

54:01[clears throat] over way past 9:00. So,

54:03those students who want to go up all the

54:05way up to Germantown from North Philly

54:07to the super site, who want to travel to

54:09watch their school play, now that

54:12creates a barrier for them because now

54:14their accepted pass doesn't work to get

54:16them back home, back down to North

54:18Philly from Alerie. like what what types

54:21of

54:22incentives or or what can we do to kind

54:24of fix that problem if we're trying to

54:27encourage our young people to

54:29participate in sports um and after

54:31school programs and things like that.

54:32Like what what is the district doing to

54:36look at um regarding like our athletes

54:39um or not or non-athletes, right? Who

54:41want to just um go to and we be

54:44overbrook by the way. BS be overbrook.

54:46They they blew them out. Um, so, uh,

54:49just wanted to put that on the record.

54:51[laughter] Uh, just want to put that on

54:53the record. Um, but what what what type

54:55of like what can we do for our young

54:56people who want to who feel like that

54:58they can't participate because the

55:00transportation is a barrier, right? I

55:01got a little cousin who goes to school.

55:03She's a senior and she works she has to

55:06work out at King of Prussia because

55:07that's where she was hired at, right?

55:09And she gets work at 11 o'clock and she

55:11has to now use her money that she's

55:13working for to get back down to North

55:16Philly from home. was like what why is

55:19the out of a $4.6 billion budget that we

55:22have for the school district right in

55:24counting like what is like what are some

55:26of the

55:28internal barriers to just expand this to

55:31make it so that every student has that

55:34access.

55:35>> Uh Mr. Vice Chairman uh thank you for

55:37the question. Uh I want to first

55:39validate exactly what you've said. Um,

55:42in addition to uh a student perhaps

55:46having to leave a play early, uh, I have

55:48firsthand knowledge of three student

55:51representatives on the board of

55:52education. And, uh, in my first year, I

55:56asked the students, I said, "Why do you

55:58guys leave early?" And I learned very

56:01early on uh a few years ago uh that

56:04students need to leave even if the

56:06schoolboard meeting is not over because

56:08they need to get on the transportation

56:10deceptive transportation systems. I

56:12don't know the history of why the cutoff

56:14is at a particular time, but I'll defer

56:16to my colleague and Colonel Hill who may

56:18have more information about that.

56:20>> I Yeah. And so I think as council member

56:23Brooks testified to it used to be 6 pm

56:26and now it's 8:00 p.m. So there has been

56:28a movement to make it later with the new

56:30yellow fair cards. I think it used to be

56:32transpasses and it was 6 p.m. Now when

56:34we went to the yellow cards we made it

56:368:00 p.m. and the um regional rail was

56:39added to the accessibility. So we have

56:41expanded accessibility. If there's a

56:44desire to go beyond that I think that's

56:45a conversation that we could have.

56:47>> Yeah. I think that it should be at least

56:49to what the city has as the curfew time

56:52that we have for young people, right? I

56:54mean, just at the minimum, right, to

56:56allow them to [clears throat] have that

56:57access to, you know, to get to and from

56:59where need to be. And as council member

57:01Phillips asks, you know, mentioned about

57:03some kind of pilot or some kind of way

57:05to know if they are registered at an

57:08employment area or after school program

57:10or something to expand that a little bit

57:12more. I mean, we just, you know, we I we

57:15don't I don't knowing that we have,

57:16particularly in my district, um

57:18particularly in the 22nd police district

57:20where uh violent incidents of young

57:22people are on the rise. Um we don't want

57:25to create barriers for them to do

57:28something positive and I think that's

57:30just what uh we need um that's just what

57:32we're looking at. How can we expand

57:34these opportunities? So, thank you, Mr.

57:36Chair.

57:36>> Mr. Vice Chairman, we'll we'll be glad

57:37to take that as a homework assignment

57:38and with your permission uh would like

57:41to uh uh take a look at that with our

57:44SEPTA partners and also uh uh uh consult

57:48with our police commissioner as well any

57:50thoughts he might have about that issue.

57:54>> Member Phelps,

57:56thank you. Uh thank you member Young for

57:58your comments as well. I just want to be

58:00abundantly clear. We budget for

58:04nonpublic stu school students student

58:07fair cards as well.

58:11>> And why is that?

58:14>> Um

58:16let me um let me also invite um our

58:20chief operating officer um that can

58:23provide a little bit more background

58:25based on her tenure council member. uh

58:28she served in transportation for 10

58:30years and in 2023

58:33she was the National School

58:35Transportation Network Executive of the

58:38Year. And so in terms of the background,

58:41uh Chief Fleming, please come forward.

58:49>> Thank you, Chief.

58:50>> Good afternoon. Thank you for the

58:52question. Council member Phillips,

58:53transportation services for the school

58:55district of Philadelphia is the

58:57intermediate unit of Pennsylvania. We're

58:59intermediate unit 26. Therefore, we're

59:02responsible for transporting all

59:04students that reside in Philadelphia

59:07County. So, we service all students

59:09attending public, charter, and uh

59:12parochial schools as well as traditional

59:14non-publiclix. And we're also

59:16responsible for transporting all

59:17students um up to a 10 mile radius

59:20outside of the school district um

59:23outside of Philadelphia um attending

59:25approved private schools. [snorts] So we

59:27act as an intermediate unit for the

59:29state not just to service uh students

59:33attending public schools

59:34>> part of the school district. Understood.

59:35>> And council member Dr. Phillips. So, I

59:37can add also uh to uh Chief Fleming's

59:40point uh as superintendent in addition

59:43to serving as uh uh the the secretary

59:46and treasurer to the board of education.

59:49Uh statutes require me to serve as both

59:52superintendent and my title is also

59:54executive director of the intermediate

59:57unit in this case number 26

1:00:01>> news. Thank you so much for sharing

1:00:03that. Um, I do want to ask you this, and

1:00:06this is why Mie Chief Clemens is here.

1:00:10If are we potentially

1:00:13overbudgeting

1:00:15for somebody's student fair cards?

1:00:18Because if the students aren't tapping,

1:00:21then are we overbudgeting?

1:00:24Or because there's no way that they're

1:00:28pay we're paying out these costs if

1:00:30they're not tapping. I've I've many

1:00:32years ago I was on a bus. It was many

1:00:36years ago. I saw that the bus was so

1:00:38crowded they just let the students just

1:00:41get on without tapping because they know

1:00:43it's school time. So they so it's like

1:00:45you're not accounting for that. So the

1:00:48problem becomes like and the students

1:00:50like you know I'm free so why am I

1:00:52tapping right? So, I think that we need

1:00:56to

1:00:58underbudget

1:00:59or reduce the budget for these costs

1:01:02because the the reality is they're not

1:01:04they're not tapping.

1:01:08H how do you analyze that every year?

1:01:10We're losing we're overbudgeting and

1:01:12some of the funds could go somewhere

1:01:14else.

1:01:15>> I'd love to ask our chief financial

1:01:17officer uh Mike Hersman if he can speak

1:01:19to that. while he's coming to the to the

1:01:21to the table. Uh you know, when when I

1:01:24get on an Amtrak train at the 30th

1:01:26Street station, I don't tap anything. I

1:01:28get on, I sit down, and eventually

1:01:29somebody comes and check. Uh that

1:01:32doesn't mean that uh I don't need to be

1:01:33on that train. I would want to as

1:01:36superintendent be really careful about

1:01:39uh budgeting because we want to be sure

1:01:42that we don't take away any opportunity

1:01:45to increase our uh student attendance uh

1:01:48which has been going up every year for

1:01:50the past four years and it'll go up

1:01:52again this year I predict. Uh but uh so

1:01:55that transportation is so important.

1:01:56Chief Hzman.

1:01:58>> Yes sir. Uh for the record Mike Herzman,

1:02:00chief financial officer for the school

1:02:02district of Philadelphia. Uh to council

1:02:05member Phillip's question um we have

1:02:07seen this trend and uh of as some

1:02:10students have um gotten on to

1:02:13transportation they have not uh been

1:02:16tapping and I think as a result of that

1:02:18we were in prior years looking at

1:02:21essentially SEPTA undercharging us for

1:02:23this. So the way that it works is uh

1:02:27when a student is uh tapping if they are

1:02:31tapping once a month we are paying for

1:02:34the that month's services. Still there

1:02:36are some students that we believe that

1:02:38we're not tapping at all during the

1:02:39month. So, we've been working over the

1:02:41last uh year to make some changes to the

1:02:44way that we pay this out. And this year

1:02:47uh based on some analysis that we've

1:02:49jointly done, we are guaranteeing that

1:02:51we will pay out for 33,200 students at a

1:02:55minimum to uh account for some of those

1:02:58uh the situation that council member

1:03:00Phillips has brought up.

1:03:02>> So, that's the point. So, I think that I

1:03:04appreciate that honestly. I think that

1:03:07what you could do right because this

1:03:09accounting is so important to the school

1:03:12district of Philadelphia's budget

1:03:14intercept

1:03:16if a student is getting a transpass

1:03:20uh a a student affair card there

1:03:22probably should I'm recommending that if

1:03:25they're if you're noticing that they're

1:03:27collecting it and they're not tapping

1:03:30they should their privilege needs to be

1:03:32somewhat suspended or they need to be

1:03:35held accountable for that for not

1:03:38tapping or they need to be known that

1:03:40this is important. Something has to be

1:03:43checked because you have to you have to

1:03:47let them know that that car could be be

1:03:49used for another student or it could be

1:03:51used for somebody else who really needs

1:03:52it if they're not really using it.

1:03:55>> Uh thank you council member Dr.

1:03:56Phillips. Want to say two things. one,

1:03:58we absolutely agree. Uh it's incumbent

1:04:01upon us in the school district uh to

1:04:03work with our students and their parents

1:04:05and family members about the importance

1:04:08of tapping uh because SEPTA is trying to

1:04:11run a lean organization over there and

1:04:12we want to be a a good partner and we

1:04:14want to teach our young people our our

1:04:17civic and other responsibility

1:04:19uh to do our parts. I also think that uh

1:04:23as habits good or bad develop over time

1:04:27uh we want to be thoughtful about how we

1:04:29do that and not go from zero to 130

1:04:33seconds and we tank our student

1:04:35attendance but we long story short we

1:04:37hear you loud and clear and we'll

1:04:39>> I think there should be a warning stage.

1:04:41>> Yes sir.

1:04:42>> You know uh but I think it's really

1:04:44important but I see what you're saying

1:04:45but I think there just needs to be

1:04:46better accountability mechanisms.

1:04:48>> Agree. So what? So hopefully we'll see

1:04:51that change among the transportation

1:04:53team.

1:04:54>> Yes, sir. And and and Mr. Chairman, uh I

1:04:57want to thank you again for permitting

1:04:58me to exit a bit early, but uh all the

1:05:01members [snorts] of the school district

1:05:02Philadelphia team will stay for the

1:05:04entirety of the hearing, Chief Financial

1:05:06Officer Herbsman, Deputy Superintendent

1:05:08for Operations Colonel Ozill, and our

1:05:10chief operations officer, Terresa

1:05:12Fleming. Thank you, sir.

1:05:13>> Thank you, Superintendent.

1:05:14>> Thank you so much, Chairman. I

1:05:15appreciate it. And as chair of uh

1:05:17transportation, I just want to note uh

1:05:20Wendy Harvey that we we do care about

1:05:23you getting fairly compensated. It's

1:05:26important for SEPTA. So, and thank you,

1:05:28doctor, for for raising those points.

1:05:30And uh I think we'll wrap our questions

1:05:32up in the panel with the maker of the

1:05:34resolution, Councilwoman Landell.

1:05:37>> Thank you so much. Thank you all for

1:05:38being here. I want to make sure that

1:05:40we're getting some things really crystal

1:05:43clear on the record here. So, uh, let's

1:05:45start with, uh, uh, Superintendent

1:05:47Watlington

1:05:49testified that the school district pays

1:05:52SEPTA upfront, reports the eligible

1:05:56transportation costs to the Pennsylvania

1:05:58Department of Education,

1:06:00and then receives state reimbursement

1:06:03for the portion PTE determines is

1:06:06eligible.

1:06:08So

1:06:11want to start with the question of

1:06:13coming back to these numbers here. Uh I

1:06:15believe we heard from um the treasurer

1:06:18of SEPTA that there's 200 approximately

1:06:21200,000 students. We believe 60,000 are

1:06:25eligible for the passes,

1:06:2849,000

1:06:30are assigned

1:06:32and approximately 45,000 are used. Did I

1:06:36hear you correctly?

1:06:37>> On average. Yes.

1:06:39>> So, I'm going to start by asking the

1:06:40school district, do you agree with those

1:06:42numbers?

1:06:46>> Uh, yeah. Yes. I believe those are joint

1:06:48numbers we agree on.

1:06:51>> And then how much does

1:06:56how much does each student pass cost per

1:07:00rider? So, we uh we charge the district

1:07:03$886060

1:07:06per month per tapped card and we invoice

1:07:09them based on unique cards tapped in a

1:07:13calendar month times $88.60.

1:07:17>> And you are

1:07:19charging that amount

1:07:22regardless of how many taps happen?

1:07:25>> No. Um those tap that $88.60 60 cents is

1:07:29only applied times the number of unique

1:07:32cards tapped. So if a card is not

1:07:34tapped, we're not paid at all. Even if

1:07:37the student is using the system,

1:07:43give me a second here. Um

1:07:48how much? So we're going to start this

1:07:50again. We'll go back to uh uh

1:07:53Superintendent Watlington's

1:07:56testimony. They pay for the the school

1:07:59district's paying for the cards upfront

1:08:01before the tapping happens. No.

1:08:04>> No. So I think by upfront and I don't

1:08:07want to put words in his mouth, but I

1:08:08think upfront he means before the state

1:08:10reimbures. So there it isn't an upfront

1:08:13payment as in like it's not an estimate

1:08:15before the usage happens. SEPTA bills

1:08:18the district after every month based on

1:08:20usage of the previous month. Then the

1:08:23district will pay our invoice and then

1:08:26they will turn around and get reimbursed

1:08:28by the state.

1:08:29>> And is the state reimbursing

1:08:32um the school district for all students

1:08:35including charter and otherwise?

1:08:39>> Yes, the state reimbures for uh charter

1:08:42non-public and district operated uh

1:08:44school students.

1:08:47How much uh does the school district pay

1:08:49in administrative costs running around

1:08:52trying to figure out who tapped, who

1:08:54didn't tap, how many times you tap, did

1:08:56you not tap?

1:09:00>> Um I would say a uh I don't have the

1:09:03exact amounts, but would share that

1:09:05SEPTA does pay us to directly administer

1:09:08this program. Uh last year that was uh

1:09:11just under $2 million for administration

1:09:14of it. And uh in the current year we're

1:09:18anticipating based on our agreement

1:09:19about 3.6 million.

1:09:22>> And

1:09:26to SEPTA, how does this system differ

1:09:29from the key advantage program for

1:09:31employees such as City of Philadelphia

1:09:34employees or the senior pass program?

1:09:37How does a key advantage typically how

1:09:39much does that cost typically per rider?

1:09:44That's a great question. Um, so the key

1:09:46advantage program is based on

1:09:49utilization. So I guess in that way it's

1:09:52the same. Um, we invoice the

1:09:54institutions monthly. So that in that

1:09:57way it's the same. Um,

1:10:01it so I guess there are commonalities.

1:10:04Um

1:10:06the one one big difference would be with

1:10:09key advantage for the city for example

1:10:12we invoice them based on all of the taps

1:10:17times the the eligible population

1:10:19whereas with the school district um

1:10:22we're only looking for each of those

1:10:23cards to be tapped just one time in a

1:10:25month to consider it an active card. So

1:10:29um I guess it differs in that way in

1:10:31both in both cases. Interestingly, the

1:10:34discount off of what SEPTA considers the

1:10:36retail price for the program is about

1:10:3825%. So that $88.60

1:10:41is about 25% less than the $116 a month

1:10:45someone could go buy a transpass. So the

1:10:48discount is about the same. Uh but the

1:10:51calculation is a little different.

1:10:52>> Okay. I want to make sure I don't miss

1:10:55this one.

1:10:57Please tell me I'm hearing this wrong.

1:10:59I'm hoping you're going to tell me I'm

1:11:00hearing this wrong. Are you saying that

1:11:02if a student taps their card once in a

1:11:05month, the school district of

1:11:06Philadelphia owes you $88.66?

1:11:09>> Correct.

1:11:10>> That is ludicrous.

1:11:17It's a $2.90 ride with a 25% discount.

1:11:27that you cannot uh you can't do

1:11:29accounting on assumptions. I've been on

1:11:31plenty of buses myself where the system

1:11:34itself is not working. I want to tap.

1:11:36I'm dying to tap to tell SAPA the people

1:11:39who come to talk to us every Thursday,

1:11:41the city of Philadelphia that I'm

1:11:43actually riding the bus. Sometimes some

1:11:45things are broken as well. I do not

1:11:47think we should take into assumptions

1:11:49that kids are not tapping. I would also

1:11:51take it a a little moment of privilege

1:11:54on the aside to say that we need to have

1:11:57positive messaging around tapping, not

1:12:00punishment, not terminating cards, but

1:12:03the positive message has to be do this

1:12:05for your school. Do this for the school

1:12:08district of Philadelphia. Do this for

1:12:09the for the future of public

1:12:11transportation.

1:12:20So, I should assume that all of the

1:12:21numbers that we receive that talk about

1:12:23the expansion of the program, the dollar

1:12:27amounts include

1:12:30basically $88 per card, even if somebody

1:12:32taps once.

1:12:34>> So, the just to be clear about the

1:12:36expansion, um we had to estimate

1:12:39utilization for the currently

1:12:41non-eligible population at all because

1:12:43we have no idea how much they'll ride.

1:12:46So one of the limitations of the current

1:12:48contract metal [clears throat] meth um

1:12:51method is that it is based on

1:12:53utilization. So we had to estimate for

1:12:56example that um 15% of students in

1:13:01middle school that are not currently

1:13:03eligible that would become eligible

1:13:05would then ride and then 40% of

1:13:08currently not eligible high school

1:13:11students would then ride. But the

1:13:13reality is we actually have no idea if

1:13:16you were to expand this districtwide how

1:13:17many students would actually take

1:13:19advantage of the of the benefit.

1:13:21>> Is the rate that you charge students

1:13:27higher than the UPass or the key

1:13:29advantage?

1:13:30>> It depends on the institution because

1:13:33the utilization rate dictates the rate.

1:13:36>> I don't ride the bus as often as I

1:13:39should. Sorry, Wendy. I'm trying. Um,

1:13:42occasionally I'll tap once a month. How

1:13:45much does that cost the city of

1:13:46Philadelphia when I tapped once for the

1:13:49entire month?

1:13:51>> The my best estimate for that. We will

1:13:53that'll be my homework assignment would

1:13:55be 25% off of 290 because that's the the

1:13:58basis of the program is it's essentially

1:14:00a 20% discount off of retail

1:14:04>> for the one t for the one ride,

1:14:06>> right? So it would be

1:14:08>> a student you're charging $88 a month

1:14:11and for me it's

1:14:13>> $2.50 basically

1:14:17that's we should be more equitable with

1:14:19the school district. The goal is these

1:14:21are our future writers. The goal is to

1:14:23get people writing. The goal is to help

1:14:25families. Hope you sit through this

1:14:27whole hearing to hear about the families

1:14:29that are struggling, the students that

1:14:31need to get to and from where they want

1:14:33to go. I know you all want this to

1:14:35happen. you're also looking for somebody

1:14:36else to fund it. I want to look for an

1:14:39equitable way to fund this program. It

1:14:42feels like a waste of money. There is no

1:14:44reason at all that we're spending um so

1:14:46much money on so few taps. There could

1:14:48be a way in which we have a flat rate.

1:14:50Let's give a let's let's take the $3

1:14:53million, the two to the $3.6 million

1:14:56you're doing in administrative fees, cut

1:14:58that all the way down. give a pass to

1:15:01every single student who is of a certain

1:15:03age who lives everywhere, you know, who

1:15:05lives no matter how close they are to

1:15:07the school district and charge a much

1:15:10lower amount and let the kids ride.

1:15:14Thank you,

1:15:17>> Vice Chair Young.

1:15:18>> Thank you. Just just one more question

1:15:19for SEPTA. I mean, you look at do the

1:15:22math. He says $88, right? You're

1:15:24charging for one tap. Simple math,

1:15:26divide it by 290, it's like 30. you're

1:15:28estimating that like somebody's tapping

1:15:3030 times a month essentially. Like do

1:15:33you feel like you were do you feel like

1:15:35that's a good estimate? Do you feel like

1:15:37you're you're being underpaid or being

1:15:39overpaid? Like what how does have to

1:15:41feel about that essentially?

1:15:42>> So So the the the challenge with fair

1:15:45evasion is that is inherently the

1:15:47absence of data. So we've used every

1:15:50method we can to in our conversations

1:15:52with the school district to try to

1:15:54understand what current utilization is

1:15:57to um to get at that number. So just to

1:16:00level set before COVID, we had a

1:16:04transpassbased program where weekly

1:16:06transpasses would be handed out in lunch

1:16:08lunchrooms and schoolyards and

1:16:11utilization was about 52,000 students

1:16:14per week and that generated about $40

1:16:16million for SEPTA. Now that we went to

1:16:19this yellow card and to dealing dealing

1:16:21with some of the administrative issues

1:16:23we've talked about, the current contract

1:16:25model is looking at 33,000 students even

1:16:28with just the one tap per month basis.

1:16:31So something has happened, something has

1:16:33changed. So when we we try to estimate

1:16:36what is current usage because right

1:16:38usage patterns have legitimately changed

1:16:40since co we look at um the big thing we

1:16:45look at is district off days during the

1:16:48week what is the change in our ridership

1:16:51that we think we can attribute to just

1:16:54student ridership and that's where I

1:16:57came up with that 45,000 number that I

1:16:59testified to earlier. We think based on

1:17:02um earlier this year Yam Kapoor last

1:17:05spring school uh spring break we think

1:17:08that there's about 45,000 students

1:17:10taking a round trip on SEPTA every day.

1:17:17Okay, hearing no further questions. Want

1:17:19to thank the school district

1:17:20Philadelphia for your testimony and for

1:17:22being here today. Thank you.

1:17:25>> Thank you.

1:17:25>> Miss McDonald, will you please call the

1:17:26second panel we have to testify this

1:17:28afternoon? Resolution 260441,

1:17:32>> Lana Harshaw, executive director,

1:17:34Bicycle Coalition of Greater

1:17:36Philadelphia and Transit Forward, PA.

1:17:39Uh, joined by Yania Strawberry, Randall

1:17:41Campbell, and Aiden Frasier, and Jay

1:17:44Williams II, member of the SEPTA Youth

1:17:46Advisory Council, joined by Xander

1:17:48Castanos,

1:17:50and Barana Jean.

1:18:00Well, good afternoon. Could you please

1:18:02state your name for the record and uh in

1:18:04the order that you choose to proceed

1:18:06with your testimony?

1:18:07>> Uh, sure. My name is Lana Harshaw. I'm

1:18:09the executive director with the Bicycle

1:18:11Coalition.

1:18:12>> My name is Yiania Strawberry. I am a

1:18:14senior at Walter B. Saw High School for

1:18:16Agricultural Sciences.

1:18:19>> Uh, my name is Randelle Campbell. I'm a

1:18:21recent graduate of Boyland High School.

1:18:24My name is Jeron Williams II. I am the

1:18:26executive I'm executive board member of

1:18:28the epcept advisory council.

1:18:31>> Thank you for having us here today. Um

1:18:35during my tenure here at the bicycle

1:18:37coalition, I've overseen all of our

1:18:39education programming including all of

1:18:41our youth facing programs and I'm here

1:18:43to speak today in support of universal

1:18:45student affairs. I'd like to thank the

1:18:47committee for allowing us to share our

1:18:49testimony. Uh council member Landell for

1:18:51your leadership on this initiative. I'm

1:18:54joined today with our Bicycle Coalition

1:18:56policy director, Julio Rodriguez, and

1:18:59TFP Transit Forward Philadelphia

1:19:01Coalition Manager, Steven Bronco, who

1:19:03have been leading our efforts to

1:19:05advocate for our youth. Um, I'm joined

1:19:08also today by Yana and R.J. Ya is one of

1:19:12our current BCYC. R.J. is one of our

1:19:14program alumni, recent scholarship

1:19:16recipients. Uh, you'll hear from them in

1:19:18their own words. But every year at the

1:19:20bicycle coalition, we've worked with

1:19:22over 200 youth across the city. We're

1:19:25currently focused in West, Southwest,

1:19:28Kensington, and Hunting Park

1:19:29neighborhoods. Our youth facing programs

1:19:31include Bicycle Coalition Youth Cycling.

1:19:34It's our flagship program for youth ages

1:19:3712 to 18. For almost 15 years, we've put

1:19:40hundreds of young people on bikes every

1:19:42year and invested almost $400,000 in

1:19:45scholarships for graduating seniors.

1:19:47Bike Explorers is our elementary

1:19:49initiative in Kensington. And for the

1:19:51last two years, we've taught third and

1:19:53fourth graders basic bike riding and

1:19:55safety skills. Future Gears is our

1:19:58career connected learning experience

1:20:00where we teach practical workforce

1:20:02readiness skills, professional

1:20:04development, and civic engagement. This

1:20:07summer, our youth wrote letters, visited

1:20:10city hall. I believe they visited

1:20:12Council Member Landell's office to

1:20:14advocate for student affairs and learn

1:20:17to speak up for themselves and their

1:20:18peers. At the center of all of our work

1:20:21is equity and access. One of the biggest

1:20:23barriers that I see is transportation.

1:20:26We can connect young people to an

1:20:28internship, a summer program, a job, or

1:20:31an extracurricular activity. But that

1:20:34opportunity only works if they can get

1:20:35there. Each of the young people with me

1:20:38today has a story about how

1:20:39transportation shapes their

1:20:41opportunities. I want to share one of

1:20:43them. Yannia Strawberry is our 2026 BCYC

1:20:46athlete of the year and Yania attends

1:20:49Walter B. High School. She works and

1:20:51over the summer she interned at Majority

1:20:53Leader Gilmore Richardson's office and

1:20:55participated in future years. But Yannia

1:20:58has missed out on programs because she

1:21:00didn't have a reliable way to get there.

1:21:02When track practice gets late, her mom,

1:21:04who is also here today, has to pick her

1:21:06up or pay for Uber or other ride share

1:21:08services.

1:21:10That is a transportation problem that

1:21:12becomes an opportunity problem. Some of

1:21:15our students don't qualify for student

1:21:17fair because they live less than 1.5

1:21:19miles from school. But 1.5 miles can be

1:21:22a 30-minute walk each way, sometimes in

1:21:24rain or other poor weather, in the cold

1:21:28or along broken and unsafe sidewalks.

1:21:31And as someone who leads youth

1:21:33programming, I see this from an

1:21:35organizational standpoint. This impact

1:21:37when transportation isn't available,

1:21:39organizations and families have to find

1:21:41other solutions that cost money or youth

1:21:44make the unfortunate decision not to

1:21:46attend programming. There's also a

1:21:48safety case for this. According to the

1:21:51Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and

1:21:53Delinquency Prevention, youth violence

1:21:56peaks in the hours right after school

1:21:57lets out at a rate almost six times

1:21:59higher than during the late night curfew

1:22:02hours. Connecting young people to

1:22:04programs, jobs, and positive activities

1:22:07in those hours is one of the most

1:22:08effective ways to reduce youth violence

1:22:11alongside curfews. This summer, cities

1:22:14across the country, including ours,

1:22:15dealt with teen takeovers. And the teens

1:22:19keep asking, "Where are we supposed to

1:22:20go?" A universal student fair helps to

1:22:23answer that. The universal student fair

1:22:26would help us serve more young people.

1:22:28And if that fair worked on the weekends

1:22:29and throughout the summer, it would give

1:22:31young people something incredibly

1:22:33important. Freedom. Freedom to get a

1:22:35job, to participate in youth programs

1:22:38across the city, and to explore

1:22:40Philadelphia. It would also save

1:22:42families money. Instead of spending

1:22:45money on gas or Uber rides, that money

1:22:48could go towards school supplies,

1:22:50groceries, local businesses, or other

1:22:52needs. This summer, YA sat in city

1:22:55council members offices learning how the

1:22:58city works. Today, YA RJ, they're

1:23:01sitting in this chamber advocating for

1:23:03themselves and their peers. These are

1:23:05Philadelphia's future leaders, and some

1:23:07of them may one day sit where you sit.

1:23:10The question in front of you isn't

1:23:11whether they're ready. They are. And we

1:23:13know this. It's whether we'll make sure

1:23:15that they can get there. We have an

1:23:17opportunity to usher in a brand new day

1:23:20for Philadelphia's young people. I'm

1:23:22asking you to please invest in our youth

1:23:23and pass universal student affairs.

1:23:28Thank you.

1:23:33Hello, Council Member Landall and

1:23:35members of the committee. As previously

1:23:37stated, my name is Yania Strawberry. I

1:23:39attend WBU agricultural high school and

1:23:42like I said I was youth advisory council

1:23:44and athlete of the year for BCYC. A lot

1:23:47of what I hear as a student is the

1:23:50violence and the misbehavior around high

1:23:54school students after school. And so

1:23:56I'll use an agricultural analogy. When

1:23:59agriculturalists have a few apples that

1:24:02aren't growing well or that are rotting,

1:24:04they don't cut down the whole tree. They

1:24:06fertilize it. They water it. They make

1:24:08sure it has everything it needs to

1:24:09succeed. So, I say this as someone who

1:24:13goes to as many programs and internships

1:24:15as I can. To get into college, you need

1:24:18experience. You need internships. You

1:24:19need to work. I know plenty of students

1:24:22who have the desire to be outside, to be

1:24:24in programs. They don't even imagine

1:24:27what those programs could be because

1:24:28they already know they do not have the

1:24:30resources to get there. So, I have, as

1:24:34previously mentioned, interned here at

1:24:36city hall. I have learned how it is that

1:24:39you work and the hard work that you do

1:24:40for us students. And as a student, I ask

1:24:43of you to invest in us. What you see in

1:24:46the news is the few bad apples that fall

1:24:49through the cracks of a system that has

1:24:51not previously invested and paid

1:24:53attention to us. I know a lot of

1:24:56students like myself and like R.J. want

1:24:58to be in rooms like this. They want to

1:25:01be lawyers. They want to be doctors.

1:25:03They want to help the kids behind them,

1:25:04but they don't know about the programs

1:25:06because they don't dream that they could

1:25:08go to them cuz they already don't have

1:25:10the resources to think of it. So,

1:25:12[snorts] there are many programs like

1:25:14BCYC all over the city. Um, and it's not

1:25:19that we are not interested or qualified

1:25:21for them.

1:25:22So, I ask that you take under

1:25:25consideration the expansion of this

1:25:27program and to help students like myself

1:25:30become the best version that we can be.

1:25:33I've also heard a lot of talk about what

1:25:35it'll cost this city and I think it will

1:25:39c cost us more to not consider this.

1:25:42This students make up a lot of

1:25:44Philadelphia's economy. We're one of the

1:25:46biggest populations. We're one of the

1:25:48most invested populations. When we are

1:25:50allowed to travel the city and we see

1:25:53these free programs, it makes us want to

1:25:55put more into the city. We aren't

1:25:58allowed to go into places like the

1:25:59fashion district and places downtown

1:26:01because of the few bad apples in our

1:26:03community. But when we have access to

1:26:05see all the good that the city can do

1:26:07for us, it puts a lot more money in your

1:26:09economy than it'll take out. We can

1:26:12offer more to this city than just

1:26:15destruction. when we are given the

1:26:17chance. A lot of our students, we want

1:26:19to go to the movie theaters. We want to

1:26:21hang out. I heard a lot of people, you

1:26:22know, a little older than me, no

1:26:24offense, say how the malls are dead. We

1:26:27can't get to a mall without a bus pass.

1:26:29We can't put money into the economy if

1:26:32the economy will not put money into

1:26:33students. Thank you.

1:26:41>> Uh, good afternoon. Once again, my name

1:26:44is Randelle Campbell, other known as

1:26:46R.J.

1:26:48Um, I am a recent graduate of Boyland

1:26:50High School. I am also a former

1:26:54uh youth advisory council member of the

1:26:57Bicycle Coalition and a recent recipient

1:27:00of the $14,000 scholarship through the

1:27:03Bicycle Coalition Youth Program.

1:27:08I want to begin with something personal.

1:27:11Consistency and promises matter.

1:27:15That is one thing that Philadelphia

1:27:17youth build off of the most. We want to

1:27:20know that what is being said to us by

1:27:23people of authority, by people who have

1:27:25higher power are holding on to. That's

1:27:29what we believe in. That's what we stand

1:27:31by.

1:27:32And when people when we see that those

1:27:35promises are not being upheld, it causes

1:27:39some to act out.

1:27:42I want to build off of what Yang said

1:27:44that just because there are a few bad

1:27:46apples in the bunch that doesn't mean

1:27:48the entire pile is bad.

1:27:52Yes, that is a product of some things

1:27:55that weren't handled correctly maybe

1:27:57when they were younger. But at the same

1:28:00time, that doesn't mean that everybody

1:28:01and every student is like that. As for

1:28:04me, I'm a working student. I'm currently

1:28:06in college studying psychology and I

1:28:11currently work and I don't get off until

1:28:13after 10 p.m. I know when I was in high

1:28:16school at boy Latin I wasn't able to get

1:28:18a student fair card because I live 1.4

1:28:20four miles underneath the limit,

1:28:24which means I had to walk 45 minutes

1:28:26back and forth to school, which means

1:28:28whether it was a snowstorm and we had

1:28:30school, I had to walk in it. If it was

1:28:32pouring rain, I had to walk in it. You

1:28:35know,

1:28:37no matter my situation, regardless if I

1:28:39wanted to go to school, I had to walk.

1:28:42Now, given the fact that there is not a

1:28:45direct bus or train that can take me

1:28:48directly to school,

1:28:51having the availability to at least use

1:28:53the bus would have me in a better

1:28:56position to get to school faster rather

1:28:58than having to leave almost an hour

1:29:01earlier to get to school than I would

1:29:02have if I was able to take the bus.

1:29:06Um, this is why expanding the current

1:29:09limits on septic student fears is

1:29:11important to me. Right now, the student

1:29:13affair card works designated to school

1:29:15days from 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 at night. It

1:29:20does not work on weekends, holidays, or

1:29:22permitted non-school days.

1:29:25But students do not stop being students

1:29:27after 8:00 p.m.

1:29:30We have track meets, basketball games,

1:29:33football games. For some, we have

1:29:37college preps, we have outreaches, and

1:29:41sometimes we have internships. As of re

1:29:44as of last school year, I finished an

1:29:46internship with Temple University. I was

1:29:49advocating for younger students and them

1:29:52knowing that they have a voice and what

1:29:54goes on in our city and that the

1:29:57wrongdoings and the all the crime that

1:29:59happens is not always our fault and that

1:30:01we have a voice against those things. In

1:30:04some cases, I I didn't have the

1:30:06availability to get back and forth to my

1:30:08internship because I had to choose

1:30:09whether if I wanted to get home or get

1:30:12to my internship

1:30:14because I didn't have the student fair

1:30:16card. I had to use my own money.

1:30:19And at terms of me going back and forth

1:30:22to work, I have to choose whether I want

1:30:23to get something to eat that day or get

1:30:25home because of Uber for me to get back

1:30:28home is almost $30 when I could have

1:30:31used a student fair card and I got home

1:30:33within 10 minutes and that 10 minutes

1:30:36turns into an hour commute because I

1:30:39don't have the resources.

1:30:42We do not stop going to school related

1:30:45activities. We do not stop doing extra.

1:30:47We have to stop doing extracurricular

1:30:49activities. We do not stop going to

1:30:51jobs, internships, tutoring, college

1:30:54programs, community programs, athletic

1:30:57practices, performances, and other

1:30:59opportunities that help us build our

1:31:00futures. And students certainly do not

1:31:04do not stop needing transportation on

1:31:06Saturday and Sunday.

1:31:08As student as a student who stays after

1:31:11school for a club, a sports practice, a

1:31:14school event, tutoring, and other

1:31:16educational opportunities should not

1:31:18have to ask, "How am I getting home?

1:31:24A student who has a weekend job should

1:31:26not have to choose between earning money

1:31:29and being able to afford transportation.

1:31:31A student who practice participates in

1:31:34the program in the evening should not

1:31:35have to worry about whether the student

1:31:37fair car will work when their program

1:31:40ends. Transportation is not just about

1:31:43getting to school. It's about getting to

1:31:45opportunity.

1:31:47And if we are serious about helping

1:31:49Philadelphia students succeed, our

1:31:51transportation policy needs to recognize

1:31:53that the realities of student lives. I

1:31:56also want to acknowledge something

1:31:57important about the city of

1:31:59Philadelphia. The city has demonstrated

1:32:02that when there is a crisis, it can step

1:32:05up. During the 2025 SEPTA budget crisis,

1:32:09the city used a portion of its existing

1:32:11$135 million SEPTA operating subsidy to

1:32:16restore priority school transportation

1:32:18routes that had been eliminated or

1:32:20reduced. The city specifically

1:32:23recognized that students needed to get

1:32:25to school safely and on time. The city

1:32:29has also made significant investments

1:32:31into the school district. In the FY26

1:32:34budget, the city committed an additional

1:32:36resources in education, including $147

1:32:39million in a mill in operating and

1:32:42capital investments over the financial

1:32:44plan and capital program.

1:32:48and Philadelphia has demonstrated that

1:32:50it is willing to invest significant

1:32:52public resources and major civic

1:32:54priorities for the nation's 250th

1:32:57anniversary. The city committed millions

1:33:00in its FY26 budget across its general

1:33:04transportation and capital funds,

1:33:06including funds for events, community

1:33:09initiatives.

1:33:10I mentioned these things not to

1:33:12criticize those investments, but to make

1:33:14a point. Philadelphia has shown it can

1:33:17step up when it decides something is

1:33:19important. Students should be treated as

1:33:22something important as well.

1:33:29If the city can stand up when SEPTA is

1:33:32in crisis, it can stand up for when

1:33:34students who depend on SEPTA every day.

1:33:37If the city can invest in celebrating

1:33:39Philadelphia and its history, it can

1:33:41invest in making sure Philadelphia's

1:33:43young people can actually participate in

1:33:46opportunities available to them. And if

1:33:49we stand and if we tell students that

1:33:52education is the pathway to their

1:33:54future, then we need to make sure

1:33:57transportation does not become a barrier

1:33:59standing between them and their future.

1:34:02For a student who has already

1:34:04experienced being let down, another

1:34:07promise only works a part of the time

1:34:10that can be especially difficult.

1:34:13I am asking the city and SEPTA not to

1:34:16let us down. I am asking that we look at

1:34:20expanding the student fair so that it

1:34:21works beyond 8:00 p.m. on weekends, on

1:34:24other days when students are still

1:34:26learning, working, participating, and

1:34:28contributing to their communities.

1:34:30Students should not have to plan their

1:34:32future around an expiration time on a

1:34:34spare on a fair card.

1:34:37We should not be we should be able to

1:34:39say yes to the opportunities. We should

1:34:41be able to say yes to after school. We

1:34:44should be able to participate on

1:34:45weekends. We should be able to get home

1:34:48safely. We should be able to go to work

1:34:50without wondering what we're going to

1:34:51pay for.

1:34:53Most importantly, when Philadelphia

1:34:55tells its students that it believes in

1:34:57them, then the city should make sure

1:34:59that the policies back those words up.

1:35:03I have been let down before, but I do

1:35:06not want Philadelphia students to be let

1:35:08down by transportation in a system that

1:35:10was supposed to be designed to help us.

1:35:12Thank you.

1:35:22Sierra Renee said, "If the Philadelphia

1:35:23Black Youth went on strike right now,

1:35:26y'all would be bored."

1:35:27>> Just state your name for the record.

1:35:29[sighs and gasps] My name is Jeron

1:35:30Williams II. I am an executive board

1:35:32member of the SEPTA Youth Advisory

1:35:33Council. I'll repeat my testimony.

1:35:34Sierra Renee said, "If the Philadelphia

1:35:36Black Youth went on strike right now,

1:35:38y'all would be bored."

1:35:40Good afternoon. My friends and neighbors

1:35:42call me Jay. As you heard, my name is

1:35:43John Williams II. I'm a lifelong

1:35:45southeastern Pennsylvania resident and

1:35:47I'm celebrating 10 years this year as a

1:35:49resident of uh Philadelphia. In 21 short

1:35:52years, I have represented my peers on

1:35:53local and national stages, defending

1:35:55their rights to live long and peaceful

1:35:58lives, including as the chair of the

1:36:00Philadelphia Youth Commission here in

1:36:01this very council. I currently serve on

1:36:04the executive board of the SEPTA Youth

1:36:06Advisory Council. This is a designated

1:36:07independent nonprofit. Um we're a youth

1:36:10advocacy nonprofit for SEPTA. We've

1:36:11existed since 2009. I am one of four

1:36:14black members in a 25 person

1:36:17organization and the only person of

1:36:19color and openly queer person to sit on

1:36:21its executive board. So I helped to

1:36:23speak for the tens of thousands of black

1:36:25students who ride SEPTA to school every

1:36:27day. I also helped design and help write

1:36:29the SEPTA youth advisory council's new

1:36:31guide to transit funding which compares

1:36:32SEPTA to transit systems of Washington,

1:36:34Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh. Um so I

1:36:36have the numbers too uh as long as our

1:36:39um our co-authors. I've ridden SEPTA my

1:36:41entire life. When I was very young, my

1:36:43mom took me on a septa bus one winter

1:36:45and I came home with just one teeny tiny

1:36:47Timberland boot. I think I still have

1:36:48it. I don't think my mom knew SEPTA had

1:36:50a lost to found at that time. So, um, so

1:36:52we've heard uh Dr. Watlington explain

1:36:55the eligibility criteria for our

1:36:57students, but I was the student who

1:37:00lived less than one and a half miles

1:37:01away from a school. I was a student who

1:37:04um I was a theater kid and my rehearsal

1:37:06ended after 8 8:00 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. Um

1:37:09and in the summer I couldn't even get

1:37:11around. Um the the the the number that

1:37:14honestly city council should be ashamed

1:37:15of um is that the city of Philadelphia

1:37:18contributes absolutely zero dollars

1:37:20specifically to student passes. The

1:37:22state and the school district, as you

1:37:23just heard, paid for it all. [snorts] Um

1:37:25in April um thank you for your

1:37:27testimony, R.J. Previously, um you came

1:37:29to council and you told us that um that

1:37:32you can't get to school because you live

1:37:341.4 miles away from your school, which

1:37:36why does that even exist? After 8:00

1:37:39p.m. on weekends, students can't ride a

1:37:40bus, uh a train, or a trolley. Um it

1:37:43leaves them stranded after football

1:37:44practice, as we heard, concert

1:37:45rehearsals, out of school time programs.

1:37:48Um and um and there used to be more

1:37:50library, as you know, closes this month.

1:37:52and uh where how are those students

1:37:53supposed to get to a local library like

1:37:56Widner or like uh Parkway Central? Um so

1:37:59I asked my question this does youth

1:38:00advocacy actually change SEPTA? Well um

1:38:03we came here in 2011 and we got 784

1:38:07surveys from students and we asked SEPTA

1:38:08to extend the student pass from 6 p.m.

1:38:10to 8:00 p.m. That's how we got here.

1:38:12We're back 15 years later to tell you

1:38:13that 8 p.m. just isn't enough. The

1:38:16system thrives when youth use it. People

1:38:18love to call SEPTA wasteful. just heard

1:38:21that. I think um Council Member Landau

1:38:23had a um a concern about the $88 for

1:38:26that one for that one tap a month. I

1:38:28think it averages out, but I'm not the

1:38:29person uh to determine that. But our

1:38:31report actually found the opposite that

1:38:33SEPTA is wasteful. It cost SEPTA 7,

1:38:37excuse me, $7.74

1:38:39um to carry one rider on one trip. Um

1:38:41that's cheaper than Boston, that's

1:38:43cheaper than Washington, that's cheaper

1:38:44than Pit than Pittsburgh. Um the only

1:38:46thing that's cheaper than us is Chicago.

1:38:48Um so SEPTA isn't failing. It's simply

1:38:51just starving. And Chicago's transit

1:38:53system um gets around $942 million a

1:38:56year in local funding, while SEPTA only

1:38:58gets $173 million from its local

1:39:01funding. But of course, Pennsylvania law

1:39:03uh because of the uniformity clause

1:39:05won't even allow uh local counties to

1:39:07levy taxes um for dedicated transit

1:39:10taxes, which lo that just puts the onus

1:39:13on council in order to fund it

1:39:14themselves. Um, obviously all of these

1:39:17figures come from our guide to transit

1:39:19funding. SEPTA covers 21% of its cost

1:39:21from its fairs. And it's fiscal year 27.

1:39:23SEPTA expects about a billion dollars

1:39:26from the state, around $250 million from

1:39:28federal sources, and only aundred less

1:39:31than $150 million in local operating

1:39:33support, and all of that local money is

1:39:35obviously discretionary. Um, there's no

1:39:37dedicated tax, and there's no formula

1:39:39for it, right? um to PA Title 16 also

1:39:42bars uh counties from leving transit

1:39:44specific taxes. Um and as we know we we

1:39:47we uh faced a crisis with regional rail.

1:39:50Our regional rail cars are are 50 years

1:39:51old. Um they they ran in Reading

1:39:53Terminal when it was still Reading

1:39:55Terminal. I'm not even old enough to see

1:39:57Reading Terminal be open. Um so this

1:40:00summer, this past summer was the worst

1:40:02failure of the student fair program. And

1:40:03honestly, the onus is on the city

1:40:05council. For 39 days, the city threw a a

1:40:07free FIFA fan festival at Lemon Hill,

1:40:09and it was steps from Strawberry

1:40:11Mansion, my my community where I live.

1:40:13Um, it was a once in a-lifetime party in

1:40:15our own backyard, but student passes

1:40:16don't work in the summer. So, um, they

1:40:18weren't able to ac um to access it. The

1:40:21Flash is there, the Philadelphia Flash

1:40:22Fest. I know that we we know we know

1:40:24that um they they would have still had

1:40:26to pay a full fair in order to access it

1:40:27because they don't have a key a key

1:40:29card. I I feel like we rolled out the

1:40:31red carpet for tourists and handed our

1:40:32own kids a bill. like I don't understand

1:40:34why we did that. Um the city failed its

1:40:36youth on student year on student affairs

1:40:38for three years straight. The the

1:40:39council found money for zero fair um

1:40:41after the the mayor wanted to cut it. I

1:40:43don't know why she wanted to do that. Um

1:40:44it found money for a 39day soccer

1:40:46festival, but it's never found a single

1:40:48dollar specifically for student passes.

1:40:51Every year that this council doesn't act

1:40:52as a choice uh that they're that they're

1:40:54making in order to um to to to stiff

1:40:57students basically on this on this um

1:40:59this opportunity. I'd like to turn uh

1:41:02very briefly to a specific member of

1:41:05this this committee. Um the vice chair

1:41:08um and council member Jeffrey Young

1:41:09represents my community of Strawberry

1:41:11Mansion. Um I like to talk about his

1:41:13record on young people. Um when he took

1:41:15office in 2024, there was already a plan

1:41:17in place to close down this uh the Cub

1:41:20Cubimo Library and to start renovations

1:41:22using his council manic prerogative. If

1:41:24y'all don't know what that is, y'all

1:41:25should look it up. He stopped the

1:41:27renovations on the CCBmore library and

1:41:30three years later we're still exactly in

1:41:32the same place that we were. He delayed

1:41:34the project for three years straight and

1:41:35only used the original $2.1 million when

1:41:38he himself advocated for an additional

1:41:40$5 million and has another $2.5 million

1:41:43from somewhere else. So I just want us

1:41:44to be very clear about that. After 3

1:41:47years of advocating in the same way that

1:41:50we had already advocated, we got the

1:41:52same result even though we uh supposedly

1:41:55elected a council member that had our

1:41:57backs and that apparently apparently

1:42:00gave us an additional $5 million for our

1:42:02library. There's $10 million in total

1:42:04for that library and only $2.5 million

1:42:06is being used for not even only 20% of

1:42:08it is being used. [snorts]

1:42:11youth are pushed towards the criminal

1:42:13justice system because of certain

1:42:15actions um simply because they can't get

1:42:17around. The school district of

1:42:18Philadelphia and SEPTA obviously, as you

1:42:20heard, launch a diversion program. But

1:42:22if you if you read the fine print, it

1:42:24only protects uh students during school

1:42:26hours on school days. So after 8:00 p.m.

1:42:28and on weekends, if they're evading the

1:42:30fair, they get a $300 fine. Um so you

1:42:34built a pass that shuts off at 8:00 p.m.

1:42:35and then made riding after 8:00 p.m. a

1:42:38crime. And like I don't understand like

1:42:40what that what that does for young folks

1:42:43either. Um youth obviously thrive with a

1:42:45high quality education, soulenriching

1:42:47activities, safe and healthy safe and

1:42:49healthy third spaces and an easy way to

1:42:51get around. These all these things go

1:42:53hand in hand. They build the best

1:42:56mindset for a young black

1:42:57Philadelphiaian like myself. And this is

1:42:59a population that the city keeps under

1:43:01reppresenting and simply forgetting

1:43:02about. If you take away the bus, you

1:43:04take away the school program, you take

1:43:06away the job, the library, and the rec

1:43:08center right along with it.

1:43:11Where does this city get its bread and

1:43:12butter? I asked myself, who funds the

1:43:14eds and meds with our blood, our bodies,

1:43:17our minds? Transit pays the city back.

1:43:19Students pay the city back. Every

1:43:21billion dollars invested in public

1:43:22transit returns about $5 billion in

1:43:24economic activity. A family that doesn't

1:43:26need a car can save $8,000 a year. Um,

1:43:29and just to to give you um a record,

1:43:32half of all of Pennians who don't own a

1:43:35car live in the SEPTA service area. Half

1:43:3850% of of of people in Pennsylvania who

1:43:41don't own a car live right in our our

1:43:43septic service area. Okay. So, I know we

1:43:46talked about earlier um the the

1:43:48behavioral issues that the young folks

1:43:49are facing like in in Dworth Park for

1:43:51example. Um I don't think that this is

1:43:54these are incidents that um can be

1:43:56directly attributed to the fact that

1:43:57they do or don't have uh student passes

1:44:00or that they do and don't have after

1:44:01school programs. But we need to continue

1:44:03to consider the bigger picture here.

1:44:05What could young people do if they could

1:44:07roam the city that they will soon

1:44:09inherit? What could they explore? What

1:44:11could they discover? How many more stars

1:44:13could they count? New York gives

1:44:16students free rides with no time limits.

1:44:18Washington DC gives it students free

1:44:19fairs. Philadelphia can't call itself a

1:44:21world-class city and then still lock

1:44:23kids out after 8:00 p.m. It just doesn't

1:44:24make sense. And [snorts] Council Member

1:44:26Landal, you've said previously that you

1:44:27want this to be the most teen uh

1:44:30friendly city um in the country. Um and

1:44:33I I share that that um that aspiration

1:44:36with you, but it's up to the the council

1:44:38to um set a common sense which is simply

1:44:41a universal student fair. every student

1:44:43every hour, every day, all year with no

1:44:46distance rule. That would be like

1:44:47handing the the the keys to the city to

1:44:50people who actually deserve them. There

1:44:52was money found for student fairs. There

1:44:54was found there was money found for

1:44:55FanFest. I think that we need to find

1:44:57this money for our students as well. And

1:44:59one final question for uh the vice chair

1:45:01of the committee, Council Member Young.

1:45:03Do you care about the Black Youth of

1:45:05Strawberry Mission at all? Your record

1:45:06says otherwise, but I mean, you can

1:45:08change that today. I ask the entire

1:45:11council and this committee to fund

1:45:12student affairs. Thank you very much.

1:45:17>> Well, I want to thank each of the

1:45:19testifiers today uh for your passion

1:45:22that you're bringing to this important

1:45:24uh topic and we can't thank Council

1:45:26Member Landal for for having this

1:45:29hearing and the fact that you're here uh

1:45:31and testifying. We appreciate and we and

1:45:33we we do listen despite what you think.

1:45:36Vice Vice uh Chair Young.

1:45:38>> Thank you, Mr. chair. Uh I just want to

1:45:40know for the record that the Cobb Moral

1:45:42Library has a total of eight computers

1:45:45that so that serves three uh communities

1:45:48and uh there is no space for increased

1:45:50capacity for programming for our young

1:45:52people at that current library right

1:45:54now. I just want to put that on the

1:45:55record.

1:45:57>> Member Phelps,

1:46:00uh thank you so much for your testimony

1:46:02regarding SEPTA. Um [clears throat]

1:46:04I do want to say it's important and

1:46:06listen I'm also for all alternatives

1:46:08just for the record around how do we

1:46:10make sure the students tap what is

1:46:12positive consequential and you know

1:46:16whatever that we need to do we just need

1:46:17to do that. Um but I do want to say um I

1:46:22appreciate what you said and I admire

1:46:24what you said. Um to be honest with you,

1:46:28there's so many issues in the city of

1:46:30Philadelphia that even years when you

1:46:33advocated this I think many you said

1:46:35when was this about 2020 or 2016?

1:46:39>> 2011 the first report came out

1:46:41>> 2011 wasn't here. So we're here now and

1:46:46um you know I think council lands

1:46:48brought up something that I think can be

1:46:49a really great advocacy. I just want to

1:46:51be really clear. Are we saying that we

1:46:54want student fair passes for young

1:46:57people to have the opportunity to stay

1:47:00for after school programs, internships,

1:47:02jobs, summer programs, those type of

1:47:05things? Is that what I'm hearing?

1:47:07>> Yes.

1:47:07>> Just that category, those categories.

1:47:10Yeah,

1:47:10>> I mean I would say yes, but at the same

1:47:14time I would say um

1:47:18I would say we need to primarily focus

1:47:20on the fact that

1:47:22administrators,

1:47:24you know, people of higher power, our

1:47:27parents are always saying that we need

1:47:29to invest our time and things that can

1:47:33benefit us, which is our education, you

1:47:36know, fitting into being athletic, you

1:47:38know. using our minds to something

1:47:40that's positive. And I feel like having

1:47:45the availability to have a student fair

1:47:49card that can get us to point A to point

1:47:51B without having to think about,

1:47:57well, I may not be able to go because I

1:47:59don't have the money that day. I may

1:48:02>> I may be able to go, but I don't know

1:48:04how I'm going to get home. Or I know I I

1:48:07want to reference something that one of

1:48:09the congressmen one of the councilmen

1:48:11have said you know they they were

1:48:12focused on you know they were bringing

1:48:15up how there's a lot of students there's

1:48:18a lot of youth you know that fair invade

1:48:21that hop the train uh I know you have

1:48:23brought up recently that um well there

1:48:26are times where buses are packed and

1:48:28buses just let students on. Yes, that is

1:48:31a case in some cases, but there are also

1:48:33other cases where students will get on

1:48:35and the driver will tell them to get

1:48:37off. There's also other cases where I

1:48:41would think not only just to think about

1:48:43the why think of why there are students

1:48:45that are invading, but also think of why

1:48:48they're invading. They don't have the

1:48:50resources to get on the train. They

1:48:52don't have the resources to get on the

1:48:54bus. They don't have the resources to

1:48:55get on the trolley. And some I I know

1:48:58from experience when I was doing my

1:49:01internship with Temple University, I was

1:49:04having issues getting to and from to get

1:49:07to my internship and to get back home.

1:49:09And I'm over I'm arguing and pleading

1:49:11with SEPTA police just because I'm

1:49:14trying to get home safely. You know, I I

1:49:17have to argue that I'm a student, but I

1:49:20don't have a student fair card right

1:49:22now. They're asking me, "Well, why don't

1:49:25you?" and I have to get in depth into

1:49:27something I would assume that they would

1:49:28already know.

1:49:29>> Right. So, you just answered the

1:49:30question I was basically where I want to

1:49:34make sure that in the advocacy for this

1:49:37we're focused on helping students extend

1:49:40hours for after school programs, career

1:49:44internships, things that are summer

1:49:47programs, things that are productive

1:49:49things for young people to do. Right.

1:49:51Okay. I just want to add

1:49:53>> those those are the things that come to

1:49:55mind first. After school programming,

1:49:57internships, but we don't want to

1:49:58discount the fact that the kids need to

1:50:00connect with their families and they

1:50:02need to be able to spend time with

1:50:04relatives. Uh the card would give them

1:50:06that access to do that. I think it's

1:50:08important for us not to dictate, you

1:50:10know, the things that the kids would be

1:50:12able to do and really empower them.

1:50:13That's one of the things that we want to

1:50:14teach them through our programming

1:50:15>> that. So we we we we understand that

1:50:18here in Philadelphia, but the challenge

1:50:20is that we also have to connect with the

1:50:24greater Harrisburg, right? And so that

1:50:26the conversation has to be something

1:50:28that's plausible, even though there's

1:50:30never anything plausible for them. A lot

1:50:32of times in Harrisburg, if we say that

1:50:34we're trying to send more funding for

1:50:36this and we're going to need that

1:50:38supplemented by Harrisburg and convince

1:50:41the the the other aisle over there,

1:50:43they'll say, "Okay, why? Here's the

1:50:45reason. If you're saying that we want

1:50:48young people to go to the mall as well

1:50:51as a part of this, they're saying if

1:50:53they're going to go to the mall, they

1:50:54could pay for the mall. That's what they

1:50:56would say. The other I would say they

1:50:58could pay for the mall and so why are

1:51:00they they can't pay for the bus. So I

1:51:02understand what you're saying. But I

1:51:04think that that's why we're always in

1:51:06this situation. If it was up to a lot of

1:51:08us, we would try to find ways to make

1:51:11either SEPTA pretty much low low cost

1:51:15for everyone or free if we could, you

1:51:19know. So, it's just one of those things

1:51:20that, you know, we just got to continue

1:51:22to negotiate, but I appreciate it.

1:51:24>> Absolutely.

1:51:24>> Yeah.

1:51:28Phillips. Um,

1:51:29>> well, we can't hear you. [laughter]

1:51:31Thank you, brother. Uh, Council Member

1:51:32Phillips. Um, this advisory council

1:51:34keeps a very robust relationship with

1:51:36multiple members of our state

1:51:38legislature, Republicans and Democrats

1:51:40in the House and the Senate. We recently

1:51:42spoke to someone who is in favor of um

1:51:45creating a um a K through 12 solution

1:51:48that um eliminates the exclusionary

1:51:51zone. Um, and we're continuing to

1:51:53provide um any information that we can.

1:51:55We're also continuing to have those

1:51:56conversations. I think a lot of folks in

1:51:58the in the state legislature are trying

1:52:00to figure out a solution for student

1:52:01universal student affairs we're calling

1:52:03this what what does that look like 24/7

1:52:05365 access to SEPTA when it's running

1:52:07obviously obviously it gives them that

1:52:09already immediate access to make sure

1:52:11that they're able to get home after

1:52:12those after school programs to make sure

1:52:14that they get they they're able to get

1:52:15home after those uh those sports and

1:52:17that um in and those rehearsals right it

1:52:20it is an angle that that we can take but

1:52:21I think looking at it from the bird the

1:52:2330,000 foot view the bird's eye view

1:52:25this is universal student affair access

1:52:27for every young person in Philadelphia

1:52:29that they don't they don't currently

1:52:30have access to that right now and that

1:52:31is a barrier and that is a disservice.

1:52:34>> Thank you. Thank you,

1:52:35>> Vice Chair Young.

1:52:36>> Thank you. So, I was reading through the

1:52:38testimony just listening to your

1:52:40testimony as well. So essentially at 801

1:52:45these cards stop working and if I'm a

1:52:48student if I don't have any money and I

1:52:52you know evade the fair that's a $300

1:52:55fine right so

1:52:58I just don't see the fairness in that.

1:53:00Right. I mean it's I just want to put

1:53:02that I don't know I wanted to ask

1:53:04someone from SEPTA the Septa chief that

1:53:06was here like is that like how often

1:53:09does that happen like or does that like

1:53:12is that a an issue that we're seeing

1:53:16that students are um evading fairs like

1:53:20right after the 8:00 period when the um

1:53:23I guess when they're I guess the clock

1:53:25strikes on them that they can't use a

1:53:26card anymore. like what like how often

1:53:29are these folks getting fined or or or

1:53:31harassed by police or anything like

1:53:33that? We're just trying to get that some

1:53:34information on that. So, I just want to

1:53:36put that on the record.

1:53:39>> Council member Lando,

1:53:40>> thank you. I just wanted to make a

1:53:43statement instead of a question here. Um

1:53:46what we're looking at is expanding

1:53:49um access to all Philadelphia has to

1:53:52offer. And I I want to really caution us

1:53:55from making this too narrow. Even in our

1:53:57advocacy, the the cards don't work on

1:54:00the weekends. They don't work when

1:54:02school is closed. They don't work on

1:54:03vacations.

1:54:05What we need is we want young people to

1:54:08be able to go pick up their friend and

1:54:10go to the zoo. We want to go to hit have

1:54:12them hear an outdoor concert. We want

1:54:14them to join the bike coalition on a

1:54:17Saturday. We want them to be able to do

1:54:19things throughout the city whenever they

1:54:22need to. We want them to go see

1:54:23different family members on the weekends

1:54:25without paying for it. I want to caution

1:54:27us about being too narrow of putting it

1:54:29from school um extracurriculars or

1:54:33sports because that could get us into a

1:54:36place where we don't want to be we want

1:54:37to be as expansive as possible right

1:54:39now.

1:54:41>> Thank you. And since we do have two more

1:54:43panels, I'm going to conclude this

1:54:44testimony and thank you for your

1:54:46testimony today and taking your time.

1:54:48>> Thank you so much,

1:54:51>> Miss McDonald. Will you please call the

1:54:52next panel to testify this afternoon in

1:54:54resolution 260441?

1:55:01>> Rebecca Fabiano, executive director, Fab

1:55:04Youth Philly, joined by Sierra Drayton,

1:55:07and Dante Privet, executive director at

1:55:09Open Door Abuse Awareness and

1:55:11Prevention.

1:55:21Uh, good afternoon and uh, please state

1:55:23your name for the record and proceed

1:55:24with your testimony in the order you you

1:55:27choose here.

1:55:29>> Good afternoon everyone. My name is

1:55:31Xander Castanos Martial. I am a student

1:55:33at George Washington Carver High School

1:55:35of Engineering and Science. I am a youth

1:55:37leader at Huntos and I live in a Gracef

1:55:39Fairerryy neighborhood within the second

1:55:40district of Philadelphia. And much like

1:55:42any much like many students within the

1:55:44city of Philadelphia,

1:55:46I am a at a distance from my school

1:55:48where I need to use a student fair card.

1:55:50And many times as a student, I have had

1:55:52to travel somewhere for sports or school

1:55:54related to activities on the weekends.

1:55:57And many times those places are usually

1:55:58a good distance away from my home. But

1:56:00due to due to the cars not working on

1:56:02the weekends or in the summer, I have

1:56:04had to arrive late and risk my position

1:56:06in the extra extracurriculars or in my

1:56:08sport. There have also been times where

1:56:10after practices and late night games, I

1:56:11couldn't use my fair card to arrive home

1:56:13due to their curfew and working hours.

1:56:16This matters not only to me, but to

1:56:17multiple students across the city as

1:56:19well. Not only could these cards be used

1:56:21to help with academic opportunity, but

1:56:22it could help with internships, job

1:56:24experience, and also social life. As it

1:56:27was mentioned today, issues may arise at

1:56:29any moment. And I don't believe putting

1:56:31limits on the on the passes is a

1:56:33solution. But this isn't just because of

1:56:35their opportunities. This may also be

1:56:37for students of immigrant background

1:56:39such as myself. It is well known that

1:56:41immigrants in the state of Pennsylvania

1:56:42can't acquire a driver's license.

1:56:44Therefore, also including the city of

1:56:46Philadelphia. This means that their

1:56:48children and students can't be driven by

1:56:50them even if they wanted to do so. These

1:56:53fair cars can very well be the only the

1:56:55only source of transportation for many

1:56:57students within the city to travel from

1:56:58home to school or even sports and

1:57:00extracurricular activities. This could

1:57:02be this could also bring about better

1:57:04standards for youth environments to

1:57:05reduce the need for a curfew or ban on

1:57:07teens in certain places due to an

1:57:09increase of opportunities keeping the

1:57:11youth in educational and active

1:57:12environments. So, as for the change, the

1:57:15students of Philadelphia need the city

1:57:17to extend working hours on the student

1:57:19fair cards and better funding as this

1:57:22would not only improve student

1:57:23opportunities and lives, but it would

1:57:26also improve the opportunities and lives

1:57:28of immigrant students and families

1:57:29within our city of Philadelphia. It

1:57:31would also improve the fair car usage

1:57:33and service. And as it was proposed

1:57:36earlier, the time should be expand

1:57:38should be expanded to at least an hour

1:57:40after the curfew hours so that they can

1:57:42account for the commute and ensure that

1:57:43the students arrive home safely.

1:57:55Good afternoon, council members. My name

1:57:58is Barana Jean. I was born and raised in

1:58:00West Philadelphia and is where I

1:58:02attended school from elementary to high

1:58:04school. I'm here to ask you to support

1:58:06Universal Student Affairs. When I was in

1:58:09high school, I lived 1.4 miles from my

1:58:12school, just.1 miles short of qualifying

1:58:14for a student key card. That tenth of a

1:58:17mile made a real difference. Many of the

1:58:19clubs I wanted to join were located

1:58:21throughout the city, from San City to

1:58:23Northeast Philadelphia, far from home

1:58:26and far from a free ride. Getting to

1:58:28school and activities was a constant

1:58:30challenge when my father who will

1:58:32usually drive drive me was hospitalized

1:58:35one winter. I had to make the dime track

1:58:37to school and back on my own. So usually

1:58:40I'll be walking uphill downhill trying

1:58:42to avoid sleep and ice on sidewalks

1:58:46where I could have potentially just took

1:58:48a trolley to my school. I'm not I wasn't

1:58:51alone. More than 30,000 Philadelphia

1:58:54secondary students fall outside of the

1:58:56current eligibility rules. Even those

1:58:58who qualify can only use their cards

1:59:00from 5:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on school

1:59:03days. Students don't stop needing

1:59:05transit on weekends in the summer or

1:59:07after dark. They have jobs, volunteer

1:59:09requirements, sports, and community

1:59:11programs. I recently became eligible for

1:59:14the zero program and it has been a

1:59:17godsend. I currently attend Temple

1:59:19University and previously was working

1:59:22full-time. Now with the ZFA program

1:59:24card, I can take multiple routes

1:59:26[snorts] to campus including Broad

1:59:28Street line, region rail, and bus routes

1:59:30without worrying about what each trip

1:59:32costs. I can stay late for work or to

1:59:34study. And this has saved me a

1:59:36significant amount of money. I think

1:59:38about how much easier high school would

1:59:40have been without with the same freedom.

1:59:42Students shouldn't have to give up an

1:59:44opportunity because they live a tenth of

1:59:46a mile too close or because a program

1:59:48runs past 800 p.m. I urge the council to

1:59:51expand student affairs to all students

1:59:53in grades 7 to 12 regardless of distance

1:59:56and to include evenings, weekends, and

1:59:58summers. Thank you for your time.

2:00:08Okay,

2:00:10any questions for this panel?

2:00:14>> Thank you for your testimony. Thank you

2:00:16for being here.

2:00:32>> So, please state your name for the

2:00:33record and uh proceed with your

2:00:35testimony.

2:00:38My name is Sierra Drayton. I'm 14 years

2:00:40old and I currently attend Mercy Career

2:00:41and Technical High School.

2:00:44First, I think SEPTA should address

2:00:46buses passing people who are waiting and

2:00:49disruptive behavior while on buses.

2:00:52Mercy at Mercy Career Technical High

2:00:54School high school students are allowed

2:00:56a certain amount of lateness as they are

2:00:57allowed and when set the buses drive

2:00:59past us, it can cause us to arrive late

2:01:00to school. I live in South Philadelphia.

2:01:03Mercy Career Technical is all the way in

2:01:04North Philadelphia. I have to take two

2:01:06buses. I leave my house at 6:20 in the

2:01:08morning. I arrive at school by 7:30ish

2:01:12every day. And there's usually so many

2:01:15there's two buses that I uh the two

2:01:17buses I go on are usually so crowded,

2:01:19especially in the morning. And then all

2:01:21the disruptive behavior from the other

2:01:23students that get on the bus is crazy,

2:01:26especially when there's younger

2:01:28children, toddlers who pick up on that

2:01:30behavior.

2:01:32Second, I personally believe that SEPTA

2:01:35is unreliable. Certain like with the

2:01:36buses driving past people, it's not okay

2:01:40and I feel like that needs to be

2:01:42changed. I also think that STEP septa

2:01:45should work on their cleanliness and

2:01:47should be improved for students to feel

2:01:49comfortable and safe on the buses.

2:01:53Being late to school can affect our

2:01:55shop, our shop work, our employability

2:01:58points, and most importantly, our

2:01:59grades. Because being late means we can

2:02:00miss important lessons, hands-on shop

2:02:02work, and information we need to learn

2:02:03for our future. We shouldn't have to

2:02:05miss valuable learning time because a

2:02:07bus passes while we were waiting. At the

2:02:09same time, there can be students on

2:02:10buses who are extremely loud,

2:02:11disruptive, and use vulgar language,

2:02:13which affects everyone around them,

2:02:15including elderly passengers, parents,

2:02:17toddlers, and younger children who may

2:02:18pick up on that behavior. I think Seth

2:02:21should do more

2:02:23to make sure buses stop for waiting

2:02:25passengers when possible and that

2:02:27disruptive behavior is addressed so

2:02:29everyone can have a more comfortable

2:02:30ride. Thank you.

2:02:44>> Hello, my name is Kayla G.

2:02:45>> Could you bring the microphone down a

2:02:47bit? Yes. Thank you.

2:02:49Hello, my name is Kayla Garrett and I'm

2:02:51a student at Mercy Technical and Career.

2:02:52And here's a few things I'd like to

2:02:54share. Teams need free fair cards

2:02:56because weekly fair card payments are

2:02:58$31. With teens, we need money for

2:03:01lunch, school activities, and after

2:03:03school activities. To pay $31 weekly and

2:03:05in a month to pay 124 as a teen is what

2:03:09some people call absurd. Most people

2:03:11can't can't get jobs or most teens can't

2:03:13get jobs because of the job economy is

2:03:15rough. And us teens, we don't have much

2:03:17of an income besides what we get from

2:03:19our parents. I've seen from the last few

2:03:21months that the drivers are skipping

2:03:23teens because they believe that one teen

2:03:25is all. It's sad that you guys believe

2:03:27that one bad apple spills a bunch, but

2:03:30kids need rides. Also, if drug addicts

2:03:33or disturbed people or mentally pe me

2:03:36mentally unstable people can get on, why

2:03:38can't we? Set the drivers need will set

2:03:42the drivers will give driver set the

2:03:45drivers will give more leniency to a

2:03:47drug addicted person before they give it

2:03:50to a teen. I go to a career technical

2:03:53school where lateness actually can

2:03:55impact our grades. It's called employab

2:03:57employability and if we're late from

2:04:00sept drivers passing us we can get five

2:04:02to 10 points taken off. It also impacts

2:04:04our licenses.

2:04:06We have service hours all year round and

2:04:08they can run any time between 3:08 to 8

2:04:12o'clock. Our passes don't work that long

2:04:15in that time frame. We need more time.

2:04:17We're paying $31 for bus drivers to pass

2:04:21us for them to be disrespectful and to

2:04:23not feel safe. Sometimes our pay cards

2:04:25decline and we have uncleanliness and so

2:04:27much more.

2:04:29Thank you.

2:04:49Good afternoon. Uh my name is Rebecca

2:04:52Fabiano. I use she her pronouns. A

2:04:54special hello to Council Member Driscoll

2:04:56who's uh our representative up in

2:04:58Kensington. Um, I'm the executive

2:05:00director of Fab Youth Philly, a youth

2:05:01workforce development organization

2:05:03serving primarily young people like all

2:05:05the incredible young folks you've heard

2:05:07from today. We provide paid training and

2:05:09employment for over 200 teens a year,

2:05:11including our paid lifeguard uh

2:05:13certification, which has enabled Parks

2:05:15and Wreck to open all the city pools for

2:05:17the last four summers, and our

2:05:18award-winning play captain initiative

2:05:20that lifts teens up as role models and

2:05:22contributors on numerous play streets

2:05:24throughout Philadelphia. At Fab Youth

2:05:26Philly, we believe that young people

2:05:27need access to jobs, internships,

2:05:29community programs, volunteer

2:05:31opportunities, cultural experiences, and

2:05:33the people and places that help them

2:05:34build social capital and become leaders.

2:05:36All I'm doing this afternoon is echoing

2:05:38so much of what you've already heard

2:05:40today.

2:05:41Um, at Fab Youth Philly, for more than a

2:05:43decade, we've created opportunities for

2:05:45young people. More than 85% of our young

2:05:47folks who participate in our programs

2:05:49have their first job or workforce

2:05:50experience with us. People who are

2:05:52employed as teens make 20% greater

2:05:55lifetime earnings than those who do not.

2:05:58A job opportunity isn't really an

2:06:00opportunity if a teenager can't afford

2:06:01to get there.

2:06:03Today, Philadelphia student fair program

2:06:05is limited by where students live, as

2:06:07you've heard. The current card generally

2:06:09works only on school days, as you've

2:06:10heard. Um, and according to the student

2:06:13fairs that work proposal, that means

2:06:14about 31,000 young people are excluded

2:06:17solely because of the distance and the

2:06:19thresh the distance threshold. Those

2:06:22restrictions don't reflect how teenagers

2:06:23actually live. A 17-year-old doesn't

2:06:25stop being a student at 8:15, at 8:00

2:06:27p.m. on the weekends or as a summer. As

2:06:29you've heard, they might be coming home

2:06:30for a number of experiences that they've

2:06:32all said they need and they want. Many

2:06:35programs operate on the weekends. Uh the

2:06:37mayor's extended day, extended year

2:06:38program now requires providers to

2:06:40provide training during the spring break

2:06:42and on school professional development

2:06:44days. If young people can't get there on

2:06:46those days, then the uh nonprofit

2:06:50organizations are not able to fulfill

2:06:51their expected goals.

2:06:54If we're serious about youth employment,

2:06:55youth leadership, and preparing young

2:06:56people's uh young people for excuse me,

2:06:59Philadelphia's young people for

2:07:00adulthood, then transportation has to be

2:07:01a part of that. I want to also flag that

2:07:04student fairs students face issues that

2:07:06aren't typical. Some of our students

2:07:08have had interactions with the juvenile

2:07:10justice system and as such not being

2:07:12able to apply for jobs which has to do

2:07:15with their arrest or criminal record.

2:07:16Expungement is not automatic. I raised

2:07:19this because council member Yung you

2:07:21also mentioned the $300 fee. Um the

2:07:24consequences are a massive free for

2:07:27young folks and so how are they expected

2:07:28to pay for that if they can't pay the

2:07:30$290 just to get on the bus?

2:07:33Furthermore, students have to show up to

2:07:34court depending on the number of fines

2:07:36they were issued. And remember, if they

2:07:37live less than a 1.5 miles away, they're

2:07:40not able to get a card.

2:07:43We have the opportunity to help young

2:07:45people succeed. Too often I hear from

2:07:47young adults and teenagers and adults

2:07:50here in Philadelphia, there isn't

2:07:51anything for them to do. That is simply

2:07:54untrue.

2:07:55The truth is that things are not

2:07:57equitably distributed across our city.

2:07:58It makes it very difficult for young

2:08:00people to get where they need to go.

2:08:02Universal affairs, expanded hours, makes

2:08:04it more possible for our young people to

2:08:06access what they deserve. I urge city

2:08:08council to support expanding student

2:08:10transit access so that young people can

2:08:11get where opportunity is, not just where

2:08:13school is. Thank you.

2:08:20>> Good afternoon. My name is Dante Pvette

2:08:23and first thank you for the opportunity

2:08:25to speak. I feel like my counterparts

2:08:27represented this issue very well. Uh,

2:08:30I've been a coach here in Philly for 17

2:08:32years. I also serve as the executive

2:08:34director of Open Door Abuse Awareness

2:08:36Prevention, also known as ODAP. I'm here

2:08:39today to ask council to support

2:08:41universal student affairs because

2:08:42transportation shouldn't be the reason

2:08:44why our kids can't get to practice, get

2:08:46home safely, or participate in the

2:08:48opportunities that are really helping

2:08:49them grow. Through ODAP, I work directly

2:08:52with people all across the city who are

2:08:54committed to their sport. I see students

2:08:56come to practice every week because they

2:08:58want to improve, they want to compete,

2:09:00and they want to be a part of something

2:09:02that gives them purpose and belonging. I

2:09:04also work alongside coaches who work in

2:09:07every zip code throughout Philly. Right

2:09:09now, we're training 26 boxing and

2:09:11football coaches who serve over 2500

2:09:13young people across our city, uh,

2:09:15including in the school district of

2:09:16Philadelphia and Philly parks and

2:09:18recreation sites.

2:09:21So that gives me a very close view of

2:09:23what young people and their families are

2:09:25navigating every day. And one of those

2:09:27challenges specifically is

2:09:29transportation. There are students

2:09:31across our city who want to come to

2:09:32practice, but they simply don't have a

2:09:34reliable way to get there. They may rely

2:09:36on a parent who's still at work and may

2:09:39have to find someone who's willing to

2:09:40give them a ride. Sometimes, despite

2:09:42them wanting to be there for some of the

2:09:44biggest moments of their lives, they

2:09:45can't make it at all. When that happens,

2:09:48they aren't just missing a practice.

2:09:49They aren't just missing time with a

2:09:50coach. They're missing time with their

2:09:52teammates or an opportunity to build

2:09:53their skills and stay connected to their

2:09:55peers. One student I coached last year

2:09:58cames to mind comes to mind. His name,

2:10:00we'll refer to them as James St.

2:10:01Patrick. He played flag football with us

2:10:04in Southwest Philly, but he lived across

2:10:06the Grace Fairies Bridge in South

2:10:08Philly. Our practices end at nearly 8

2:10:11every night, so getting him home became

2:10:13something our coaching staff had to

2:10:14figure out together. Sometimes we drove

2:10:16him to the bus, sometimes we paid for

2:10:18it, sometimes we paid for an Uber. But

2:10:21there were times where we just often

2:10:23drove him all the way home to keep him

2:10:24safe. My point is, we figured it out

2:10:27because we weren't going to let the cost

2:10:29of him getting home stand between his

2:10:31opportunity that he worked very hard

2:10:32for.

2:10:34And yes, council members, we're talking

2:10:36about practice, but to be honest,

2:10:39practice matters. It's where our young

2:10:41people build relationships with their

2:10:43coaches, with their peers. It's where

2:10:45they learn. They develop their

2:10:46confidence. They become part of a team.

2:10:49Our kids shouldn't have to choose

2:10:50between missing something that matters

2:10:52to them and trying to travel across the

2:10:53city without enough money just to pay

2:10:55the fair. Universal student fairs would

2:10:58help remove that choice. We're in a city

2:11:00that understands the role sports can

2:11:02play in the lives of our young people.

2:11:04Um, our neighborhood teams really do a

2:11:06great job of creating community all

2:11:07across the city. And for some uh our

2:11:11kids, for some of our kids, sports can

2:11:13open door doors to college, careers,

2:11:15relationships, and a network they may

2:11:17not have even imagined for themselves.

2:11:19Universal student fairs would help our

2:11:21young people get to practices, get to

2:11:23their games, get to their jobs, and

2:11:25other safe activities that they

2:11:26participate in throughout the city. It

2:11:28would give our families one less expense

2:11:30to manage and allow our coaches to focus

2:11:32on developing our kids instead of

2:11:34figuring out whether they have enough

2:11:36money to get home. Our kids are already

2:11:38doing their part. I mean, we've heard

2:11:40today that our most committed citizens

2:11:42in the city who are young people often

2:11:44paying the price of that commitment when

2:11:46it comes to these fairs.

2:11:49So, they're showing up. They're working

2:11:50towards something that's productive.

2:11:52Transportation shouldn't be what stands

2:11:54in the way. So, I'm asking council to

2:11:56help move this forward by supporting

2:11:57Universal Student Affairs to allow our

2:11:59kids to use their passes beyond the

2:12:01school day. Thank you very much.

2:12:06Well, I just want to comment, Dante,

2:12:08thank you for what you're doing. Uh, and

2:12:10Rebecca, I'm familiar with your work,

2:12:12your great work. You know, you're

2:12:14connecting and you see the talent of

2:12:16some of these young folks that stood

2:12:18before us today. So, um, you know, we're

2:12:21listening and, uh, Council Member

2:12:24Orlando, any

2:12:26vice chair? Well, thank you for your

2:12:28testimony. Thank you very much.

2:12:29>> Appreciate your work. Keep up the good

2:12:30work.

2:12:34And Miss McDonald, will you please call

2:12:35the next panel to testify on 260441?

2:12:40Autumn Fingerhood, Will Tongue, and John

2:12:43Ging.

2:12:53>> You want to go first?

2:12:57>> Well, good afternoon. Please state your

2:12:58name for the record and proceed with

2:12:59your testimony.

2:13:00>> Yes. My name is Autumn Fingerhood.

2:13:03Okay. Good afternoon, members of city

2:13:06council. Council member Leoo, I love

2:13:08you. My name is Autumn Fingerhood. I've

2:13:11lived in Fox Chase in Northeast

2:13:12Philadelphia for more than 20 years. I'm

2:13:15a stadium worker and a proud member of

2:13:17Unite Here Local 274.

2:13:20But most importantly, I am a mother. A

2:13:23mother of a Philadelphia public school

2:13:24student. My daughter Liv is a junior at

2:13:27Arts Academy at Rush. She has been

2:13:29riding septus since sixth grade. She's a

2:13:32vocal major. She plays field hockey and

2:13:35she works a part-time job after school

2:13:37and on weekends.

2:13:40Because I work evenings and weekends.

2:13:42And because I am a single parent and

2:13:44have been since she was four years old,

2:13:46I can't always drive her where she needs

2:13:48to go. We depend on SEPTA to get her to

2:13:51school, home, from practice, games, and

2:13:54to and from work. At $2.90 a ride,

2:13:58multiple trips and connections add up

2:14:00quickly. What might seem like a small

2:14:04expense can become $15 a week, $60 a

2:14:08month, or hundreds of dollars over the

2:14:10course of a year.

2:14:12In a household, balancing food,

2:14:14utilities, and risings rising costs,

2:14:17that is real money. Sometimes it's money

2:14:21simply that I don't have, that parents

2:14:24don't have. But what hurts the most as a

2:14:27mother is seeing my daughter hesitate to

2:14:31even ask me for bus fair. She sees how

2:14:34hard I work. She knows what our family

2:14:37is trying to manage. And knowing how

2:14:39hard she works, balancing school, her

2:14:42activities, and her job, it breaks my

2:14:44heart that she's h sometimes feels like

2:14:47she has to use her own earnings just to

2:14:49get where she needs to go.

2:14:52Universal student fairs are about so

2:14:54much more than saving money. They are

2:14:56about dignity. They're about access and

2:15:00they're about opportunity.

2:15:07When students can get around

2:15:08Philadelphia without having to worry

2:15:10about whether they or their parents can

2:15:12afford another fair, they have more

2:15:15freedom to participate in their

2:15:16communities, volunteer, work, take care

2:15:20of siblings, pursue their interests, and

2:15:23simply be young people. And for families

2:15:25like mine, a pass that works on weekends

2:15:28and throughout the summer would make an

2:15:30enormous difference. When transportation

2:15:32costs are covered, that money doesn't

2:15:34just disappear from our budget. It stays

2:15:37with our family. Maybe instead of

2:15:39worrying about another SEPTA affair, Liv

2:15:41and I can go to dinner, get sushi, go to

2:15:43our favorite dessert spot, see a horror

2:15:45movie, or spend an afternoon at a

2:15:47museum. I like to share a story of how

2:15:50of how not having a student fair card

2:15:52impacted us over the summer. Liv and I

2:15:54had a beautiful random Wednesday outing

2:15:56over the summer. We live really close to

2:15:58the Foxchase Regional Rail. I had off

2:16:01this day and wanted to spend the day

2:16:02with her. We walked to the regional and

2:16:04I got off at Jefferson station and we

2:16:06walked over to China Chinatown. We had

2:16:08sushi and went to our favorite dessert

2:16:10spot, Ala Moose. We walked around the

2:16:12city and I taught her how to use the

2:16:14regional rail. I told her about all the

2:16:16stops and connections. When we traveled

2:16:19home on the train, she asked me how much

2:16:21it was. $24 $24 round trip for both of

2:16:25us. She saw that was a little pricey,

2:16:28but I told her it was actually less than

2:16:31driving there and paying for parking and

2:16:33gas.

2:16:34She loves the regional rail, but because

2:16:37of the cost of it, she isn't able to

2:16:39afford it. Universal Student Fairs would

2:16:41help so many kids to travel out of the

2:16:44neighborhood and experience more

2:16:45culture. Chinatown and the Fashion

2:16:48District, also known as the Gallery to

2:16:50us oldheads, are two of her favorite

2:16:53places. Those are small things, but

2:16:55they're the moments I get to have with

2:16:57my daughter. And I just wanted to add,

2:17:01there are a lot of students, children in

2:17:04our city that will never get to have

2:17:07small moments like that because of where

2:17:09they live. There are children that will

2:17:12never be able to leave their

2:17:14neighborhoods. Me and my daughter, we

2:17:17have that privilege. But there's plenty

2:17:19of students that do not have that

2:17:22privilege because of money. And our

2:17:24students should never have to suffer in

2:17:27our city because they can't afford

2:17:30transportation. That is not okay.

2:17:39>> So I don't think the question should be

2:17:40whether Philadelphia students deserve

2:17:42universal student affairs. I think the

2:17:45question is why wouldn't we do

2:17:46everything we can to invest in our

2:17:48children? Our students are working hard.

2:17:51They're going to school, going to

2:17:53practice, working jobs, caring for their

2:17:55families, and preparing for their

2:17:57futures. They deserve a city that

2:17:59invests in them every single day. As a

2:18:03mother, I will continue to show up for

2:18:05my daughter and for the students of

2:18:06Philadelphia. I hope city council will

2:18:09show up for them, too. Please fund

2:18:11Universal Student Affairs 365 days a

2:18:14year. Thank you.

2:18:20>> Hi, [clears throat] good afternoon. My

2:18:22name is Will Tongue. I'm a volunteer

2:18:23with Fis Advocacy. I'm a Southwest

2:18:26Philly resident and proud husband and

2:18:27parent to an eighth grader uh who goes

2:18:30to school here in Center City. Um her

2:18:32school gave her this, the student fair

2:18:33card. Um during school days, it's worth

2:18:36its weight in gold to our family. It

2:18:38provides my daughter with freedom and

2:18:41empowerment, allowing her to hang out

2:18:43after school with her friends and choose

2:18:44when to come home. Uh, but you know the

2:18:47story of Cinderella, the the carriage is

2:18:49magnificent, but when the clock strikes

2:18:51midnight, it turns into a pumpkin. So,

2:18:54every every night, every weekend, every

2:18:56summer, the clock strikes, in this case,

2:18:598:00 p.m. for my child, and the card

2:19:01turns into a pumpkin. It becomes not

2:19:03worth the plastic it's made of. Um, last

2:19:07summer we considered summer camps for my

2:19:09daughter. She wanted to go to Tui all

2:19:11the way in South Kensington. Um, that's

2:19:13where all her friends are. It would have

2:19:15meant a long ride on the L from our

2:19:18house in Southwest Philly. Um, with me

2:19:20or my wife taking her to make sure she

2:19:22got there safely. The camp would have

2:19:24cost us $325 for the 6 weeks and the

2:19:28SEPTAR would have cost us $348. It would

2:19:32have been $23 more than the cost of the

2:19:34camp. Uh we wound up opting out of this

2:19:37camp um up in Kensington. Um but I just

2:19:40you know want to want to drive home that

2:19:42developing a habit of using transit as a

2:19:44youth translates into adults who become

2:19:47transit writers for life. Um and the

2:19:49cards are already in our kids backpacks

2:19:51you know on the weekends at nights in

2:19:53the summers. Let's turn them on 247 365.

2:19:57Um, I also want to point out that we're

2:20:00we're not the like that many many other

2:20:02cities have turned on the student fair

2:20:04cards. Uh, you know, 247 365. I have

2:20:08friends who live in New York. They have

2:20:10student fair cards that work year round

2:20:12on nights and weekends too. Um, cities

2:20:15like Baltimore, Houston, Washington DC,

2:20:17Seattle, Denver, the entire state of

2:20:20Connecticut, Sacramento, Los Angeles

2:20:23County, it goes on and on. Um, cities

2:20:26that are richer than Philly and cities

2:20:28that are poorer than Philly have all had

2:20:30these student fair cards turned on. Um,

2:20:32also like 290 a ride here in

2:20:35Philadelphia, that's among the most

2:20:37expensive in the country. And last time

2:20:39I checked, Philadelphiaians are not

2:20:41among the richest people in the country.

2:20:44Um, so let's, you know, let's think

2:20:45about equity here. And also, um, from

2:20:48this hearing, I was surprised to learn

2:20:49that Septic Key Advantage cards cost

2:20:52basically the same. Like we're paying

2:20:54the same $88.60 as most employers and

2:20:58the city of Philadelphia is paying for

2:20:59Septic Key Advantage cards, but Septic

2:21:01Key Advantage cards work 24/7 365. Like

2:21:06why are we paying more for inferior

2:21:07product? Um so thank you. Um yeah,

2:21:11that's all I have. Thank you so much.

2:21:14Um [clears throat]

2:21:16uh good afternoon uh Chair Driscoll and

2:21:18Vice Chair Young. Uh I'm John Gidding.

2:21:20I'm an executive committee member with

2:21:22Transit Forward Philly. Um you've heard

2:21:24a lot already about uh why this change

2:21:26would matter for students and their

2:21:28families. Um I was going to present some

2:21:31independent estimates of the costs uh

2:21:33but it's a little awkward because we

2:21:34heard some other numbers today that were

2:21:36much higher than uh what we had

2:21:38prepared. But, uh, I can share a little

2:21:40about what we have and, uh, yeah,

2:21:43really, uh, more of kind of the open

2:21:45questions we have that I think, you

2:21:47know, city council members and staff

2:21:48could, uh, help us answer to get a

2:21:51better understanding of like what

2:21:53resources are actually needed to make

2:21:54this happen. Um, so, uh, thanks to some

2:21:58numbers that, uh, the transit coalition

2:22:01received, uh, from a council office

2:22:04here, uh, the school district already

2:22:07contracts with SEPTA for a student pass.

2:22:09Uh, this is as of 2024 with 6 68,110

2:22:15students in grades 7 through 12 who live

2:22:17at least a mile and a half from school.

2:22:19Um, and the at the time the estimates we

2:22:22got, uh, they said it costs about $29

2:22:24million a year paid with state education

2:22:27transportation dollars. Um, 52,563

2:22:32of the students had been assigned a card

2:22:35uh, in 2024. It's about 77% of uh, who

2:22:39is eligible. And then [music]

2:22:41of those only 32,67

2:22:44were actually using one which is about

2:22:4647% of everybody eligible. So like when

2:22:49I heard the district and you know uh

2:22:52Superintendent Watlington and uh Eric

2:22:54Johansson talking about some of the

2:22:57estimates for these I' I'd love it if

2:22:59you all could ask for them to like

2:23:01provide like the detailed assumptions

2:23:03behind some of that because you know

2:23:06like San Francisco I think just expanded

2:23:08their MUN pass to students for like3 to

2:23:116 million extra a year. We just heard

2:23:13this would cost $64 million. Like I

2:23:16think there's like some skepticism about

2:23:18the numbers warranted here and like

2:23:20seeing exactly how they each arrived at

2:23:24their assumptions about this would be

2:23:26really helpful because we think I think

2:23:28we we've been operating under the idea

2:23:30that this was a lot more affordable than

2:23:32we just heard it was here today. And

2:23:34like a lot really depends in the numbers

2:23:37on what your assumptions are about the

2:23:40utilization rate and the habits of you

2:23:44know the riding habits of students who

2:23:46live within a mile and a half from

2:23:48school. Like I think we think that they

2:23:51probably ride a little bit less, but

2:23:53then like you know there's a few

2:23:54different so there's a few different

2:23:55parts to this, right? There's there's um

2:23:58evenings and weekends, you know, we've

2:24:00heard some disputed numbers on that. You

2:24:03know, I've heard from SDP that uh they

2:24:07because they offer like a worse pass,

2:24:10they get like a 20.6% 6% discount for

2:24:13the restricted pass and that if you like

2:24:15got rid of the evening and weekend

2:24:17restrictions that like their their

2:24:18discount would go away. I've also heard

2:24:21on background from SEPTA that like

2:24:23because evenings and weekend service is

2:24:25so you know under subscribed there's not

2:24:28as many riders as like at rush hour that

2:24:31uh it might cost SEPTA nothing to add

2:24:34them. So, on the one hand, nothing. On

2:24:37the other hand, $6 million. That seems

2:24:39like something we should try to figure

2:24:41out uh completely. And then, uh and then

2:24:45C covering the additional 31,600

2:24:48students who live within the uh within

2:24:51the mile and a half line. Um, you know,

2:24:54today the program spends about like 64%

2:24:58of its theoretical maximum if like every

2:25:01eligible student all got the cars and

2:25:03they all rode every day. Like the state

2:25:05would be forced to spend, you know, more

2:25:08on that, but we're not we're not like

2:25:10approaching that even. Um, and [snorts]

2:25:12they're charging $88 a pass for even if

2:25:17the student rides once. So like, you

2:25:20know, we got to get this sorted out. I

2:25:22feel like there's like trips that are

2:25:24being covered by that $88 that are like

2:25:27not being served that like SEPA is

2:25:28getting paid for right now and like how

2:25:30much money is left to actually cover the

2:25:33population. I think we can we can get at

2:25:35this. So the transit coalition's had a

2:25:37few asks that we wanted to see if you

2:25:40know you all would all consider you know

2:25:42modeling. Um, one is making the student

2:25:45pass work just like the um the senior

2:25:49pass does. Like, you know, they they're

2:25:51not build by trips. They're bu, you

2:25:53know, the way they bill is, you know,

2:25:56SEPTA gets a flat amount of money from

2:25:58the state to cover seniors, paid for by

2:26:00the lottery. But then like, you know,

2:26:02and seniors still tap, but they're not

2:26:04like build based on taps. So we're part

2:26:07of our suggestion is that like one way

2:26:10to get around the like tapping and

2:26:11billing discrepancy is to just make taps

2:26:14not really matter for the billing and

2:26:16just cover everybody with a flat rate.

2:26:18Um another part of this is that the the

2:26:20per student rate was set about 20 years

2:26:23ago and you know if we were to add

2:26:2631,600 additional students to the mix

2:26:29like that seems like a good case for

2:26:31like a volume discount that could be

2:26:32negotiated as part of that. you know,

2:26:34it's been a while since the the rate got

2:26:37renegotiated and maybe it's it's time to

2:26:39do that if we're thinking about this.

2:26:41Um, and then, you know, I think, you

2:26:43know, we we realized that the the ask

2:26:46involves, you know, potentially asking

2:26:47the city and council to make uh, you

2:26:51know, fund a guest about like, you know,

2:26:55where is this going to end up? You know,

2:26:57I don't know how common this is, but one

2:26:59suggestion was, you know, could there be

2:27:01like a true up clause where, you know,

2:27:03council funds a reasonable estimate of

2:27:05what this might cost and then the

2:27:07parties settle up at the year year's end

2:27:09against the actual uptake and, you know,

2:27:12we kind of limit the city's exposure uh

2:27:14for funding this experiment because, you

2:27:16know, we [laughter] can go all day with

2:27:18the data teams, but we ultimately don't

2:27:21know how much, you know, people are

2:27:23going to end up using this and it's a

2:27:25bit of a guess. So, whatever we can, you

2:27:27know, kind of creatively figure out here

2:27:28to limit the city's exposure while still

2:27:31being, you know, try to be brave and and

2:27:33take the step would be a helpful thing

2:27:36to think about. So, um, thank you for

2:27:38your time and thanks to everybody who

2:27:40testified today. Um, it's really excited

2:27:43to hear about this. My daughter just uh

2:27:44started sixth grade in public school and

2:27:47uh I think one of the really special

2:27:48things about you know raising kids in

2:27:50the city as opposed to the the suburbs,

2:27:52you know, some people do is just like I

2:27:54didn't get my license until I was 17 and

2:27:57and I couldn't really like lead an

2:28:00independent life until I was 17. But my

2:28:02daughter is going to, you know, at 11 is

2:28:04going to be able to go out and do a lot

2:28:06more independently than than I could.

2:28:07And I think that's really special. Um

2:28:09heard a lot about that from, you know,

2:28:11parents and students here today. and uh

2:28:13yeah, hope we'll we'll keep looking into

2:28:14this. Thank you.

2:28:19>> Well, thank you for um advocating for

2:28:21your own children and for all the

2:28:22children. So, thank you for both those

2:28:24advocacies. Vice Chair G.

2:28:25>> Yeah, I just want to make a comment for

2:28:27the record. Um it was mentioned um what

2:28:30um some other cities were mentioned on

2:28:32on what their policies are and I I

2:28:34always look at um what Baltimore does um

2:28:37compared to Philadelphia cuz that's a

2:28:39relatively peer city although we have a

2:28:42little bit more population they do but

2:28:44income wise you know so economic wise

2:28:46we're very similar it's like um so

2:28:48Baltimore uh any student 12 and under

2:28:52rise for free um in Baltimore the public

2:28:55school students have access uh for a

2:28:58free pass 24/7 and then a private and

2:29:01parochial schools pay a discounted right

2:29:03rate like a $150 rate. So I mean I think

2:29:06if if Baltimore can do something like

2:29:09that that you know almost ride every

2:29:12student gets to ride for free um I think

2:29:14we should be able to look at how we can

2:29:17you know mimic that a little bit more

2:29:20being a larger city um than Baltimore

2:29:23is. I mean, they again, every public

2:29:25school student in Baltimore has the

2:29:27ability this year to ride uh 24/7 uh for

2:29:30free. And so, I think that we should be

2:29:33able to at least [clears throat] explore

2:29:34um that that idea. And again, young

2:29:36people under the age of 12, ride for

2:29:38free, no matter, no distance required,

2:29:40right? It's just straight 24/7. Um you

2:29:44know, we should remove some of these

2:29:45barriers um you know, to access for some

2:29:47of our kids. Thank you.

2:29:53We will now like to transition uh to our

2:29:56public comment session on resolution

2:29:59260441.

2:30:01Miss McDonald, will you please call the

2:30:03first person making public comment we

2:30:04have to testify this afternoon on the

2:30:06resolution before this committee today?

2:30:10Ryan D Roach, Janice Tatso, Elise

2:30:14Leonard, Jared Johnson.

2:30:39Thank you. Please state your name for

2:30:40the record and proceed with your

2:30:42testimony.

2:30:56>> Ready or okay, cool.

2:31:02>> Hello, my name is Elise. I'm a community

2:31:05member and the group sales and events

2:31:07coordinator at the Please Touch Museum.

2:31:09Thank you for taking the time to listen

2:31:10to mine and my neighbors testimonies.

2:31:13My museum welcomes thousands of families

2:31:16throughout the region every day. As an

2:31:19institution where 30% of our families

2:31:21receive a 90 plus% discount to admission

2:31:24as access card or SNAP EVT recipients,

2:31:28our visitors are weighed down by rising

2:31:30costs. Many families cannot afford the

2:31:32tank of gas to get to us or even to own

2:31:35a car and rely on SEPTA to arrive at the

2:31:37museum. Even with our discount, these

2:31:40families are still having to question

2:31:42whether they can afford a lunch at our

2:31:43cafe or cutting their visit short to eat

2:31:46at home. Then the parents have the added

2:31:49cost of covering fair for the older

2:31:52sibling of their 5-year-old uh on top of

2:31:57themselves. a fair that, mind you, costs

2:32:00more than their admission admission

2:32:02ticket, assuming that they receive the

2:32:05access card or SNAP EBT discount.

2:32:08I've been told by families how it

2:32:10creates an obstacle to making it to the

2:32:12museum. And if they do make it, they get

2:32:14to play together on a pretend septa bus

2:32:17just like they got to us on. But in

2:32:19their play world, they don't have to

2:32:21stress over the balance on their key

2:32:22card. We teach kids to appreciate public

2:32:26transit and then don't give them the

2:32:27means to use it. So I asked city council

2:32:31to support the expansion of student fair

2:32:33card access, not just to keep kids in

2:32:35clubs and off the streets, not just to

2:32:38break the barriers between low-income

2:32:40families and educational opportunities,

2:32:42but also to stop the hypocrisy of

2:32:44encouraging kids to chase their dreams

2:32:46and then throwing hurdles on their path

2:32:48to them. Thank you.

2:32:58Okay, good afternoon everyone. My name

2:33:00is Janice Toto and I'm a volunteer with

2:33:03Transit Forward Philadelphia. I've had

2:33:05the privilege of supervising

2:33:07Philadelphia high school students

2:33:09serving as interns, volunteers, and

2:33:11summer employment workers. They've

2:33:14brought enthusiasm, curiosity,

2:33:16creativity, and aspirations for eventual

2:33:19uh eventual professional success beyond

2:33:22high school or college. I've always

2:33:25supported the students in pursuing uh

2:33:28personal development activities for

2:33:30their uh for those precious growth

2:33:32experiences that we all need, be they

2:33:34financial, physical, social, spiritual,

2:33:38mental, and emotional. We know that good

2:33:40skills and knowledge can be obtained

2:33:43through activities outside the

2:33:44classroom.

2:33:46I support the implementation of

2:33:48universal student affairs so that

2:33:50students can access Scepter on their

2:33:53schedule. Students shouldn't have to

2:33:55forego opportunities to participate in a

2:33:58job or volunteer activities or cultural

2:34:00activities or sports because fairs to

2:34:03and from these activities are a barrier.

2:34:06In a public comment I gave last week on

2:34:09the transit access fund, I stated that

2:34:11every Philadelphiaian deserves access to

2:34:14our public transportation system. Please

2:34:17support universal student fairs to give

2:34:19our students greater access to uh

2:34:22activities offering potential growth

2:34:24opportunities. Thank you.

2:34:30[snorts]

2:34:31>> Good afternoon. My name is Jared

2:34:32Johnson. and I am a part of a coalition

2:34:34of transit for Philadelphia and a lead

2:34:36transit organizer for fifth square. I'm

2:34:38here in support of the universal student

2:34:40fair and I would like to thank city

2:34:42council for bringing this issue to the

2:34:44table.

2:34:46I am one of the individuals that last

2:34:48year discussed about making universal

2:34:50student fair affairs come to fruition as

2:34:52I was talking to Steven Bronco who's the

2:34:53coalition manager of transfor

2:34:55Philadelphia. When I myself was in high

2:34:57school, I never had something like this

2:34:58occur or even thought about and I have a

2:35:01good heart for kids. So all these kids

2:35:03that were speaking today reminds me of

2:35:06me, a hard worker that went to school.

2:35:08For anyone who was opposed [snorts] for

2:35:11the student fair funds, here's what

2:35:13student fair funds to means. It means

2:35:17for Yannia open access to jobs, going to

2:35:20Phillies games, career opportunities,

2:35:21internships, summer internships, and

2:35:24extracurricular activities, and many

2:35:26more. For Genevieve, it means going to

2:35:29her friend's house without restrictions.

2:35:32For Jordan, it means going to the movie

2:35:33theaters and seeing the next Avengers

2:35:35movies without restrictions. For Sierra,

2:35:38it means being independent and not

2:35:39depend on others or paying $30 and up

2:35:42for an Uber or Lift.

2:35:45It means the freedom to venture outside

2:35:48of Philadelphia.

2:35:49It means for Liv, who is Autumn's

2:35:52daughter, she can hang out with friends

2:35:54and use her earnings to go get some

2:35:58outfits at the mall or even go out to

2:36:01eat with her mom, attend the latest

2:36:05Selena Gomez concert, and so much more

2:36:08without restrictions. Curfews would

2:36:10still be imposed, but I'mma leave that

2:36:12up to her instead of SEPTA.

2:36:16I don't have any kids, but I do have two

2:36:18nieces that are under the age of five,

2:36:20and I want more doors of opportunity

2:36:22open for them when they become

2:36:25teenagers, when they go to high school

2:36:27and junior high.

2:36:30Students like Genevie, students like

2:36:32R.J., Okay. Students like Sierra,

2:36:34students like Liv, all these kids

2:36:38deserve a future. Not every student is

2:36:40causing mischief, getting into fights or

2:36:42jumping turn styles at every step

2:36:44station.

2:36:46For their sake, I urge you to get this

2:36:50across the finish line and help

2:36:53support the Universal Student Fair Fund.

2:36:56It'll open lots of opportunities and

2:37:00lots of doors for these students and

2:37:03other students in the future. Thank you

2:37:05for your time.

2:37:08>> Thank you.

2:37:10Miss McDonald, will you please call the

2:37:11next person making public comment?

2:37:14>> Steven Bronkill, Sally Hatch, Monica

2:37:17Stemer, and Julio Rodriguez.

2:37:24I got a four o'clock. We got to get

2:37:26this.

2:37:31>> Oh, okay. Two more.

2:37:38>> Thank you. Please uh state your name for

2:37:40the record and proceed with your

2:37:41testimony.

2:37:42>> Thank you, Chair Driscoll. My name is

2:37:43Steven Bronkll. Um really want to thank

2:37:46Council Member Lando for your leadership

2:37:47on this hearing. Council member Young

2:37:48and Driscoll, thank you for your

2:37:50thoughtful questions today. Um I'm

2:37:52floored by the amazing young people we

2:37:54heard from today. They're incredible.

2:37:56They deserve uh the world and access to

2:37:58this. Uh the families, the community

2:38:00members who are here. Um this dates me.

2:38:03Uh but I uh I have a confession mate. I

2:38:06took a school bus or excuse me, a public

2:38:07bus to go see an Obama rally when I was

2:38:09in high school. And at that event, I was

2:38:12inspired to join an American

2:38:14>> I ran that rally.

2:38:15>> Yeah. Okay. I bet you did. I was

2:38:16inspired to join an Americanore program

2:38:18where I became a teacher for six years.

2:38:19I met students who were way smarter than

2:38:21I will ever be, right? and who had

2:38:23unlimited potential, lots of big dreams,

2:38:25but often had way too many barriers

2:38:27holding them back. One of them is

2:38:29transportation. There's certainly lots

2:38:30of other things, but truly getting to

2:38:33school, getting to an opportunity should

2:38:35not be high on the list of the things

2:38:37holding you back from your potential.

2:38:39Um, I later joined uh the BCYC program,

2:38:41was a youth cycling coach, had the

2:38:43privilege of coaching some of the people

2:38:44who spoke today who are so much better

2:38:45at riding a bike than me. Uh, they smoke

2:38:47me every time and I can't wait to see

2:38:49what they do next. I really appreciate

2:38:51Council Member Young bringing up

2:38:53Baltimore. I think that's such a good

2:38:54example. Um, look, New York City gives

2:38:57247 access and four taps a day. That may

2:38:59not be the model for Philly. DC gives

2:39:02all young people ages 5 to 21 universal

2:39:05access to their transportation. And

2:39:07friends, even Pittsburgh does this is

2:39:10getting a plan. And you know, we can't

2:39:12let Pittsburgh beat us in anything. Um,

2:39:14so I just wanted to share my

2:39:16appreciation for everybody. And just to

2:39:17put this in context, as someone who is

2:39:19working on the statewide campaign for

2:39:21transit funding alongside all of you, I

2:39:23feel like this campaign really fits

2:39:25together. This time last year, we saw

2:39:27SEPTA flex two years of capital dollars.

2:39:30We saw saw this campaign kind of go on

2:39:32hold, right? We can't keep trading away

2:39:34our future to keep our transit safe and

2:39:36in service. We saw in the most recent

2:39:39federal government continuing resolution

2:39:41zero dollars for public transit anywhere

2:39:43in the United States. I'm hoping that

2:39:45changes. We saw in the recent Harrisburg

2:39:47budget zero additional dollars for

2:39:49SEPTA. And so the question is what do we

2:39:52do, right? How do we lead by example?

2:39:55Right? We have these extraordinary young

2:39:57people. How do we find a way to make

2:40:00progress on this important issue? I

2:40:02think that's how we can lead for young

2:40:04people. It's how we can lead for zero

2:40:06recipients, for workers and small

2:40:09businesses trying to get access to work

2:40:11for tenants, for students. this is the

2:40:14progress we can make this year so that

2:40:16Harrisburg can step up next year so that

2:40:18hopefully our federal government will

2:40:19step up in the future and I truly

2:40:21appreciate um this committee uh for

2:40:23considering this I look forward to

2:40:25working you with you move forward.

2:40:26[music] Thank you.

2:40:33>> Hi, my name is Sally Heck. I work for

2:40:35the Clean Air Council as a sustainable

2:40:37transportation project coordinator. I've

2:40:39spent the last year and a half working

2:40:41this job. I've been to Harrisburg many

2:40:43times, so I completely understand when

2:40:45we talk about the fight for funding and

2:40:48making things seem both helpful for our

2:40:50citizens as well as a little bit more

2:40:52palatable to Harrisburg. Cleaner Council

2:40:55is a nonprofit health organization. We

2:40:57advocate for policy and infrastructure

2:41:00that improve air quality and public

2:41:02health. I specifically do this with

2:41:04sustainable transportation. Thank you

2:41:06for hearing us all today. The city has

2:41:08made it possible for thousands of

2:41:10students to get to and from school with

2:41:12the student fair pass program. They make

2:41:14it possible for families to worry less

2:41:16about getting their kids to school

2:41:18daily. Covering students for the school

2:41:20day is crucial, but the program needs to

2:41:22be evaluated and expanded for youth to

2:41:25reap the full benefits that come from

2:41:27freedom of movement around the city.

2:41:29Expanding student septa access allows

2:41:32youth to take advantage of programs and

2:41:34experiences that create engaged

2:41:36residents of communities. Um, Cleaner

2:41:39Council is dedicated to promoting

2:41:40sustainable transportation across

2:41:42Philadelphia. When young people use

2:41:44public transportation, they become

2:41:46confident riders building healthy habits

2:41:48early. This leads to more competent

2:41:51riders who support and advocate for

2:41:53transit equity. This is something that I

2:41:55advocate for in my job or an

2:41:57environmental health org. Um, we're

2:41:59focusing on improving air quality by

2:42:01reducing single occupancy vehicles, but

2:42:03there's so much more at stake here.

2:42:05Expanding the program to all students

2:42:07and including weekends removes so many

2:42:09barriers to internships and jobs. It

2:42:11expands the area of access to fresh

2:42:13groceries and it allows students to ease

2:42:15the financial burden of transportation

2:42:17for their families. Youth programs

2:42:20typically run on a very tight budget.

2:42:22including weekends and summers not only

2:42:24provides financial relief to these

2:42:25families but also frees up funds for

2:42:28career readiness programs and

2:42:30internships that would otherwise be

2:42:32spent on transportation stipens.

2:42:34Students are not just students, they are

2:42:36people. They are citizens of

2:42:38Philadelphia and they deserve more um

2:42:40they deserve more and freedom of

2:42:42movement. Adding users always to public

2:42:46transportation systems is beneficial.

2:42:48Increased ridership signals a stronger

2:42:50need for state funding. As we've heard,

2:42:53there's been very little and lack of

2:42:54state funding, something I'm keenly

2:42:56aware of. However, increasing writership

2:42:59is a well-known avenue for increasing um

2:43:02advocacy for those funds and a larger

2:43:04push to permanently fund public transit

2:43:06in PA. This messaging is crucial.

2:43:09Expanding student fair access is a vital

2:43:11action to ensure affordable and

2:43:13efficient public transit for all.

2:43:15something that is a public good and a

2:43:17right for everyone in that public.

2:43:24>> Good afternoon. My name is Monica Stemer

2:43:26and I'm a recycling program coordinator

2:43:28with the Bicycle Coalition.

2:43:30>> I'm sorry. Can I get a little closer to

2:43:31the microphone?

2:43:31>> Yeah. Yeah.

2:43:34>> Can you hear me? Okay. Okay.

2:43:36>> I just was saying my name is Monica

2:43:38Stemer and I am a youth cycling program

2:43:40coordinator with the bicycle coalition.

2:43:43As you have heard through our students

2:43:44testimonies today, our youth programming

2:43:47clearly extends beyond just cycling and

2:43:50we do really innovative, impactful work.

2:43:52So, I joined the bicycle coalition in

2:43:55late August, so I'm pretty new to the

2:43:56team. Um, however, just in my first two

2:44:00months at this organization, I can

2:44:01already see the shortcomings and impacts

2:44:04of our current student fair policies in

2:44:06Philadelphia. Uh, we've hosted two big

2:44:09events already and they were on Saturday

2:44:11mornings. However, for many students in

2:44:13our program, simply arriving at our

2:44:16youth cycling headquarters in Lemon Hill

2:44:18and being able to return home safely was

2:44:20an obstacle because of having to pay for

2:44:23SEPTA. We want all of our students to be

2:44:26able to participate in our free

2:44:27programming, especially our races and

2:44:30events that make our cycling season

2:44:32special and keeps keeps the kids

2:44:34returning every year. This fall, we're

2:44:37also facing unique challenges at

2:44:38Kensington High School due to the

2:44:41school's asbestos problem. We can't hold

2:44:43practices on site at school and students

2:44:45from Kensington have to practice on

2:44:47Saturdays. This means we now have to

2:44:49secure bus passes for students every

2:44:51week to make sure they can participate

2:44:53in our programming. But this isn't a

2:44:55sustainable solution. It also impacts

2:44:57our ability to deliver highquality free

2:44:59programming for our students. Investing

2:45:02in universal student fair opens so many

2:45:04possibilities for young people in this

2:45:06city. It means they can live full

2:45:09complex lives, access opportunities, and

2:45:12be nurtured by all the city has to offer

2:45:14anytime, anywhere. I urge city council

2:45:17to support Universal Student Fair. Thank

2:45:20you.

2:45:24>> Good afternoon. Oh, good afternoon. My

2:45:26name is Julio Rodriguez and I'm the

2:45:27policy director with Transit Forward

2:45:29Philly and Bicycle Coalition. Thank you

2:45:31so much for giving us this hearing, for

2:45:34hearing us out. Uh I unequivocally am

2:45:38asking you to support this. From a

2:45:40statutory standpoint, the only

2:45:42requirement that SEPTA and the school

2:45:44district have to abide by is uh

2:45:47requiring that students live 1.5 miles

2:45:50or more. That is per the PA House

2:45:52Transportation Committee. The good news

2:45:54is that all laws can be changed. And so

2:45:57I think this is an opportunity for city

2:46:00council to work with Harrisburg,

2:46:02especially next year because next year

2:46:05whether folks want to or not,

2:46:07transportation funding is going to be on

2:46:08the table and this is an opportunity for

2:46:10us to address that. Big picture, this is

2:46:13so crucial because oftent times we hear

2:46:16about people being killed in traffic

2:46:19violence. And the reality is that this

2:46:21is one way that we can help students be

2:46:23safer so they don't have to walk 30

2:46:25minutes each way getting to and from

2:46:27their house. Annually 100 people die in

2:46:31traffic violence here in Philadelphia.

2:46:33That is something that we can actually

2:46:34avoid. Other cities have shown us how

2:46:37what they've done to get us towards zero

2:46:40traffic deaths. So, I want to implore

2:46:41you to take that into consideration

2:46:44because as someone who often takes the

2:46:46bus, the train, the trolley, and bikes,

2:46:48it makes a big difference when you have

2:46:50a reliable system, when students can

2:46:53know for a fact that they can get home

2:46:55and don't have to wonder how how they're

2:46:57going to make it to to their next

2:46:59practice. So, in closing, I just want to

2:47:01say that this is actually a big way that

2:47:03we can attract more people to

2:47:05Philadelphia when people are deciding

2:47:07where should I move to? I actually want

2:47:09to move somewhere where there's free

2:47:10transit for my kids so that I know that

2:47:12they can get homes. I don't have to

2:47:14worry about daycare. Students that that

2:47:16that couldn't make it today, they said

2:47:18that over the summer their parents spent

2:47:20significant money on on on Uber, on gas.

2:47:24Unfortunately, I don't see gas prices

2:47:25going down anytime soon. So, I think

2:47:27there's a way that that that the city

2:47:28can respond and lower prices for

2:47:30everyone. Thank you.

2:47:35>> Hello, my name is Ryan D. Ro. I'm a

2:47:37coach and a parent of an athlete as well

2:47:39as a student here in Philadelphia. I

2:47:42appreciate the council for taking the

2:47:43time and having this meeting and I I

2:47:45want to acknowledge all the amazing

2:47:47youth that were here as well who gave

2:47:49their testimony. I think it's always

2:47:51inspiring. It inspires me to show up and

2:47:53be participant in what happening here

2:47:55and they open my eyes as well to what

2:47:58they're experiencing as an adult. I I've

2:48:00have a very different experience and so

2:48:03experiencing it through their eyes and

2:48:05enabling and having all the hoops that

2:48:07they have to go through has really been

2:48:08an eye- openening experience for me and

2:48:10the the revvelatory thing that I

2:48:12understand is the people who have sat

2:48:14behind this table today are really

2:48:15amazing people once you get to know

2:48:17them. There's just a fantastic people

2:48:19and they are trying their best and it's

2:48:21just an amazing opportunity to give them

2:48:25the chance to shine as best that they

2:48:27can. So all the amazing testimony that

2:48:29you've heard here and all the reasons

2:48:31why there have been amazing kids who

2:48:34have sat here who are the reason why and

2:48:37I think it's fantastic to do it. There's

2:48:39so many good reasons to do it. Um my

2:48:41daughter also is a high school student

2:48:43also attends CCP. Bus and and and

2:48:47subway is how they get around the city

2:48:49is how they utilize it. We we are

2:48:52worried about things like curfew. This

2:48:53is an excellent opportunity to get them

2:48:55home on time where they need to go. And

2:48:58when you get them young as well, they

2:49:00become participants later in life. So

2:49:01when we make them transit users younger,

2:49:04they'll continue to use it later and

2:49:05it'll become it'll continue to flourish

2:49:07as a we want to be the worldass city.

2:49:11This is a great opportunity to put

2:49:13another notch in that belt towards that

2:49:15future that we want for our children,

2:49:17that you want for your children, that we

2:49:19all want to see this city better. Thank

2:49:21you so much.

2:49:24Thank you. Miss McDonald, would you

2:49:26please call the next person for public

2:49:27comment? Shantel Baitman and Maddak

2:49:30Thomas.

2:49:46>> Please state your name for the record

2:49:48and proceed with your testimony.

2:49:50>> Yes. Good morning. My name is Shantel

2:49:52Baitman and I represent the members of

2:49:53[clears throat] the Philadelphia Student

2:49:54Union. Uh good morning or rather

2:49:57afternoon to everyone in council. Uh

2:49:59thank you especially council member Rue

2:50:00for your support in this issue. Um I

2:50:03really appreciate all the folks who came

2:50:04out to help brighten the future for

2:50:06every Philadelphiaian. So again, my name

2:50:08is Shantel Baitman. I represent the

2:50:10members of the Philadelphia Student

2:50:11Union. We are a 30-year-old organization

2:50:14led by high school students across the

2:50:16district who are using their creative

2:50:18power to fight for the education every

2:50:20Philadelphia deserves. Our members spend

2:50:23a lot of time talking and dreaming about

2:50:26what we call the horizon. And the

2:50:28horizon is the time space in the future

2:50:31where all of our people are thriving.

2:50:34In that future, young people wake up

2:50:37excited to explore, to learn, to grow.

2:50:41And every adult wakes up feeling excited

2:50:43to help the youth of this city see

2:50:46themselves, be themselves, and become

2:50:48themselves.

2:50:50The entire city is a classroom where we

2:50:53are all learners and educators.

2:50:55No one is restricted by time, money, or

2:50:59how far they live from the lesson of the

2:51:02day. There is no fear of youth takeovers

2:51:06or unfair expectation that youth must be

2:51:09more productive or um less rambunctious,

2:51:14if you will, than the adults of this

2:51:16city. Roaming, playing, exploring, and

2:51:20dreaming is every Philadelphiaian's

2:51:23birthright.

2:51:25Youth presence across the city is a

2:51:27source of pride and joy. As young people

2:51:30move through the city, they are greeted,

2:51:32supported, welcomed, and loved on by

2:51:36adults who are committed to fostering

2:51:38mutual trust and mutual respect.

2:51:42Adults and youth are working together to

2:51:44co-create opportunity and access to the

2:51:47community that nourishes us all.

2:51:50In this more beautiful future, everyone

2:51:53knows and lives by the motto, you need

2:51:56to see the city and the city needs to

2:51:58see you.

2:52:00Liberating transportation access for

2:52:03every young person in this city is a

2:52:04leap toward that more beautiful future.

2:52:07And I'm excited to be here with the

2:52:09neighbors who are working to make that

2:52:10happen. The members of the Philadelphia

2:52:12Student Union look forward to being able

2:52:15to see the city and for the city to see

2:52:17them.

2:52:19Thank you.

2:52:23My name is Maddak Thomas. I am a policy

2:52:26analyst on the SEPTA Youth Advisory

2:52:28Council and recently moved to

2:52:30Philadelphia from Rhode Island where I

2:52:32participated in similar work to secure

2:52:34funding for our transit system. Uh

2:52:36relevant to that fact, uh I attended

2:52:39college in Rhode Island and as a

2:52:41consequence of my enrollment, I received

2:52:43a free transit pass for that state

2:52:45system. Uh I've also worked both in New

2:52:48York City transit and the commuter rail

2:52:50in Boston. Uh and as a benefit of that

2:52:53employment had free access to public

2:52:56transit and our own systems. Uh I can

2:52:58tell you as someone who has lived in

2:53:00places where I did not have that

2:53:02privilege and also has experienced the

2:53:04ability to travel with full mobility

2:53:06access to the city without the concern

2:53:08of having to pay a fair for a young

2:53:10person particularly on a low income or

2:53:12who's trying to save for college. it

2:53:14makes an enormous difference. Uh and I

2:53:16think that that has been attested to by

2:53:18other folks here um who have that

2:53:21experience as students. I also want to

2:53:24speak to the question of funding and

2:53:26sort of how this measure is structured.

2:53:27I think this has been brought up by a

2:53:29few of the members. Uh and it's an

2:53:31important question. Um there have been

2:53:34measures in the past certainly in Rhode

2:53:36Island related to both senior and youth

2:53:38fairs where a flat rate is paid for

2:53:40unlimited fairs um for a particular

2:53:42group of people. Um I would certainly

2:53:45and I can see this from Septa's

2:53:46perspective. I would caution the council

2:53:48to think carefully about how that is

2:53:49structured. Uh especially in the case

2:53:52that a flat rate is agreed to for an

2:53:54indefinite period of time with no sort

2:53:55of cost escalation or uh inflation

2:53:59adjustment. uh it can become a real

2:54:01burden on the transit system to have to

2:54:03provide that service. Uh and obviously

2:54:05the members are familiar that SEPTA is

2:54:07not in the most favorable financial

2:54:09situation. Um I also wanted to speak to

2:54:11one of the issues that was raised quite

2:54:13a few times is the question of tapping

2:54:15and whether or not students are actually

2:54:17doing so. Uh so while I was working at

2:54:19the MTA, clear not their testimony. I'm

2:54:21here on behalf of the youth advisory

2:54:23council. Uh but while I was working at

2:54:24the MTA, they instituted their new

2:54:26program for student fairs, expanding it

2:54:29to four times a day, expanding it 24/7,

2:54:31so it's not just during school days. Uh

2:54:33and one of our goals there was to try

2:54:36and make sure that students are used to

2:54:38actually tapping their Omni card. Uh to

2:54:40get them habituated to paying for

2:54:41transit and so that that builds a

2:54:43lifelong habit. Uh, I think that's an

2:54:45important thing to pay attention to

2:54:47because having that full access to the

2:54:49city, getting used to tapping and

2:54:51finding ownership over that fact that

2:54:53you are helping to fund the system can

2:54:55be really impactful. Um, I'll just end

2:54:58by saying uh there's been some illusion

2:54:59to the question of whether, you know,

2:55:01it's more effective to be punitive and

2:55:03actually fi uh fine students $300 if

2:55:06they don't tap their fair card or if

2:55:09there's some way to positively

2:55:10incentivize it. Um I would suggest the

2:55:12members and perhaps SEPTA to look at the

2:55:14fact that say Wumada in DC uh or

2:55:17unofficially through some uh community

2:55:19members in Seattle. Um there have been

2:55:22programs to basically provide a transit

2:55:23wrapped where at the end of the year you

2:55:25can see what you rode, what ranking you

2:55:27were for how many rides you took on a

2:55:29given ride uh on a given route. Um

2:55:32potentially a way to motivate students.

2:55:34You could even for a relatively cheap

2:55:36cost to the city provide some sort of

2:55:38incentives or prizes to the top riders,

2:55:40the top tappers within the school

2:55:42district uh to provide an incentive for

2:55:44people to participate a little bit

2:55:46beyond their own mobility and their own

2:55:48uh knowledge that they're funding the

2:55:50system, but also something that gives

2:55:51them a little bit of competition or

2:55:53excitement with their peers. Thank you

2:55:54for the opportunity to testify. If you

2:55:56want to have further conversations, I'm

2:55:58certainly reachable through the advisory

2:56:00council. Thank you.

2:56:02>> Well, thank you. And I'd like to thank

2:56:04all the witnesses for joining us today

2:56:05and thank Council Member Landell for for

2:56:08encouraging us to have this uh committee

2:56:11hearing. And this uh concludes the

2:56:13business before the committee today on

2:56:15transportation and public utilities.

2:56:17Thank you all very much for your

2:56:18attendance.

2:56:32Heat.

2:56:48Heat.

2:56:54[music]

2:56:59Heat. Heat.

2:57:02[music]

2:57:19>> [music]