Harrisburg, PA – On June 4th, four members of the YAC traveled to Harrisburg PA to participate in Transit for All PA’s rally to save public transit. Departing early in the morning from Amtrak’s 30th street station, our members joined hundreds of Pennsylvanians in telling the state legislators that transit is crucial to people across the Commonwealth.

The rally boasted attendees not just from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but from Allentown, York, Harrisburg, and many other counties in the Commonwealth. There are an astonishing 57 transit agencies across Pennsylvania. Attendees from the rally dispersed in groups to visit legislators to further lobby for real transit funding.

This trip came as the culmination of the YAC’s Kids Save SEPTA Campaign. This campaign, organized by the head of the YAC’s Online Outreach Committee, Jay, aims to spread awareness about the devastating effects SEPTA service cuts would have on young people and students in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Our members Thomas Pyle, Jay William II, Essie Haverkamp, and Jaiman Kondisetty, traveled to multiple legislative offices after the rally to remind lawmakers of how crucial transit is to them.

The YAC would like to thank and congratulate Connor Descheemaker, the coalition manager for Transit for All PA for their hardwork organizing such a strong rally at the state capital. We are proud to be a part of the Transit for All PA coalition and will continue to support them in their efforts to communicate to lawmakers that Pennsylvanians need mass transit.

SEPTA still faces a huge budget shortfall. Stable funding is needed in order to avoid the first round of service cuts scheduled for August 2025. Lawmakers continue to work towards a final budget deal which is due on June 30th. Transit funding must be included in that deal to avoid devastating cuts to transit agencies across the state.

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