Stuart Weitzman School of Design professor and SEPTA general manager and CEO Leslie Richards will step down from her roles within the company on Nov. 29.
Richards has served in these SEPTA roles since January 2020. Her departure comes as the company braces for potential fare hikes, service cuts, and debates with their unionized workers.
During her tenure with the company, Richards introduced the SEPTA Key Advantage System and a redesign of the bus network. She is currently working to secure additional funding for public transit amidst an incoming operational deficit of $240 million next fiscal year.
Richards, who received a Master of Regional Planning from Penn in 1993, has held a faculty position in the School of Design's Department of City and Regional Planning since spring 2020.
Prior to assuming her roles at SEPTA, Richards served as the first woman secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, where she created PennDOT Connects, which provides strategic solutions for transportation's long-term success.
As Richards departs, SEPTA is looking ahead to potentially implementing 20% service cuts and double-digit fare increases early next year due to a lack of secured state government funding. In addition, SEPTA's unionized workers — members of the Transport Workers Union Local 234 — are working to reach a new contract before their current agreement expires on Nov. 7.
If an agreement is not reached, the unionized workers will authorize a strike, as decided in a vote on Oct. 27. Those on strike would include 4,500 employees, bus, trolley, and train operators, mechanics, custodians, and more. The strike would not affect Regional Rail.
The union is looking for a longer contract, a wage increase to keep up with the increased cost of living, implementation of a retention-incentive program to allow retirement-eligible members to have a pension, and increased security measures, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
SEPTA’s board has not yet found a permanent replacement for Richards. Chief Operating Officer Scott Sauer will serve as the interim general manager.
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