SEPTA’s board on Monday appointed Scott Sauer, the authority’s interim leader for the last six months, as permanent general manager.
Sauer, a 35-year SEPTA employee, is now poised to continue overseeing the authority as it navigates a funding crisis that threatens to hobble public transportation in the Philadelphia region.
Later this month, the board is set to vote on a budget that would – absent additional funding – eliminate 50 bus routes, 5 Regional Rail lines and train service after 9 p.m., among other measures, to bridge a $213 million deficit.
SEPTA leaders and transit advocates are still hoping for a solution from Harrisburg, where state budget negotiations are ongoing.
Sauer is “able to clearly and credibly communicate SEPTA’s funding needs and explain what will happen if those needs are not meant,” Kenneth Lawrence Jr., chair of the authority’s board, said. “Under Scott Sauer’s leadership, SEPTA will be in the best possible hands to guide us through this crisis towards a brighter future.”
Lawrence and other board members voted to approve Sauer’s appointment during a brief special meeting Monday morning.
Sauer has been at the helm since late November, when then-general manager Leslie Richards resigned.
“In this short period of time, he has rallied employees around a back-to-basics approach, emphasizing safety, cleaning, reliability and custom service across all roles from executive staff to our frontline personnel,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence credited Sauer with declining crime rates on the system; rising ridership numbers and improved customer service. He has also made tough cost-cutting decisions, including a pay freeze for managerial and administrative employees, to save $30 million, Lawrence added.
Sauer’s father worked for SEPTA and its predecessor, the Philadelphia Transportation Company, for three decades. The younger Sauer joined the authority as a trolley operator in 1990, rising through the ranks to become an assistant general manager in 2013 and chief operating officer three years ago.
