SEPTA's Spending: Summing It Up

All this week Fox 29’s Jeff Cole has been looking into how SEPTA spends your money.

SEPTA is a billion dollar authority which provided vital service to the region’s commuters, but does it have to spend “big bucks” on holiday parties, gifts and travel?

A long-time critic of SEPTA says its’ spending reported this week by Fox 29 is outrageous.
Jerry Silverman says, “I think it’s irresponsible. To quote Vince Fumo, they like to use “OPM” - other people’s money.”

Silverman, the former head of SEPTA’s Citizen Advisory Committee, says spending $15,000 on holiday parties over three years at Lowes for its’ board and top staff is out-of-line.

By digging through expense receipts provided by SEPTA, Fox 29 also found thousands spent on gifts to board members, its GM and staffers.

SEPTA defends throwing a party for its unpaid board.

SEPTA also forked over
- $1,100 at the Fountain Restaurant for a going away party for a former GM.
- $3,600 for a meet and greet with legislators at a Harrisburg Restaurant

They say the costs were justified.

Internal documents also reveal SEPTA officials sometimes brought pricey business class tickets or rode AMTRAK’s high-speed ACELA line to Washington, DC, when a less expensive regional train was an option.

The authority brought 3 round-trip tickets to Seoul in 2008 and 2009 for over $6,000 each.

Executives went to discuss its’ news rail cars, but another executive made the same trip for only $1,300.

Richard Maloney, from SEPTA, says the trips were likely unavoidable.

Silverman says the authority musty do better.

Salary and benefits for SEPTA workers add up to $740 million.

The Commonwealth covers about 48% of each salary.