http://tags.library.upenn.edu/tag/transportation_policy+inquirer+city_planning PennTags Feed http://tags.library.upenn.edu/makerecord/url/18381 http://tags.library.upenn.edu/makerecord/url/18381 How will SEPTA use its funding?<br />Politicians who helped it get a dedicated financial base and its riders want to see improved services.<br />By Paul Nussbaum<br />Inquirer Staff Writer<p>Memo to SEPTA: Be careful what you ask for.</p><p>The state last week gave the Philadelphia region's long-suffering transit authority what it had always needed: money. Now, riders and politicians expect something in return: better service.</p><p>After years of blaming budget crises for its dingy subway stations, antiquated fare system, crowded trains, balky buses, and indifferent customer service, SEPTA has funding for this year and a dedicated, inflation-sensitive source of money for years to come.</p><p>Gov. Rendell on Wednesday signed a landmark transportation law, establishing new funding streams for mass-transit agencies. It provides about $156 million more in operating funds and $58 million more in capital funds for SEPTA this fiscal year, and eliminates the need for threatened service cuts or additional fare increases this year.</p><p>When he signed the bill, Rendell said he hoped SEPTA, and the state's other transit agencies, would use the money not to just stave off cuts but to &quot;enhance some services.&quot;</p><p>He has lots of company. </p>