SEPTA appoints Scott Sauer, former trolley driver, as permanent general manager

SEPTA’s board appointed Scott A. Sauer as general manager on Monday, choosing a veteran insider who began his career 35 years ago as a trolley operator.

Sauer has been running SEPTA as interim general manager since December. He replaced Leslie S. Richards, who resigned after leading the agency through the depths of the pandemic, which upended SEPTA and public transit everywhere.

For six months, Sauer “has proceeded to lead this authority with a steady hand and optimism in the face of unprecedented challenges,” board chair Ken Lawrence Jr. said at the special meeting where the appointment was made.

“I hope I make you proud,” Sauer said.

This is another fraught moment for SEPTA, which is staring down a $213 million structural operating deficit and needs more state funding to avoid cuts of up to 45% of its service and a fare increase of 25%.

» READ MORE: Is my bus route getting cut? What SEPTA’s proposed changes could mean for you

Officials said they held a nationwide search for the next top executive. Several candidates from outside SEPTA were identified and interviewed.

“We found our diamond right here,” Lawrence said, a reference to the famous “acres of diamonds” speech by Russell Conwell, the founder of Temple University.

Sauer has sought to rally employees around a “back-to-basics” agenda focused on safety, cleaning, reliability, and improved customer service. He also expanded cost-cutting measures.

» READ MORE: SEPTA's war on grime

Sauer will be paid $300,879 a year, the same as in his last two positions, as chief operating officer and interim GM. SEPTA has frozen wages for 1,300 managers and administrators.

Board members decided to appoint Sauer at a special meeting Monday to “provide clarity” in the transit agency’s leadership ahead of crucial budget decisions due later this month.

On June 26, the board will consider a budget that would begin dramatic cuts in service, including reductions in the frequency of trains, trolleys, and buses as well as the elimination of some routes and Regional Rail lines.

SEPTA and other transit agencies are pushing for new funding. In February, Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, proposed an increase in the share of the sales tax earmarked for public transportation in Pennsylvania.

A bigger share of sales tax revenue would add $292.5 million annually for public transit across the state for five years. SEPTA estimates that it would receive $165 million, short of its deficit. Republicans, who control the state Senate, rejected a similar plan last year and have pushed back against the latest proposal.

Transit agencies have suffered pandemic-related ridership losses from which they are still recovering, rising costs, and in Pennsylvania a reduction in state aid.

For years, a bipartisan package relying on Pennsylvania Turnpike revenues kicked money to transit as well as to roads and bridges.

First proposed by Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell in 2007, it was enacted by Republican legislative leaders. Then in 2013, what became Act 89 raised the gas tax for the first time in years for the backlog of road and bridge infrastructure needs.

The turnpike’s obligation was slashed to $450 million a year, with all of it flowing to the Public Transportation Trust Fund — down from $750 million in 2008, split between highways and transit.

» READ MORE: SEPTA is vital to the livelihood of the entire region. So why is it so hard to fund?

Sauer followed in the steps of his late father, Robert, who worked for the former Philadelphia Transportation Co. and SEPTA for over three decades.

At SEPTA, the younger Sauer later became a transportation manager and safety officer. In 2013, he was promoted to assistant general manager of system safety.

Four years later, he was the assistant manager of operations, including vehicle maintenance and station upkeep.

In 2022, Sauer was named SEPTA’s chief operating officer, with infrastructure maintenance, the Transit Police, engineering, and capital projects added to his portfolio.