Marty Harrison – PA – PASNAP

I’m Marty, a nurse at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia. Public transit has been a key part of life for my family and me for years. My husband and I are both essential workers—he spent over three decades at Verizon, and I’ve been at Temple, which serves some of the poorest zip codes in the country. We deliberately chose to live near reliable transit because we knew we couldn’t afford to be stuck at home during bad weather or emergencies. Snow, sleet, rain—we had to get to work, and public transit made that possible.

We own one car, but it mostly gets left behind in our driveway. Transit has saved us from the expenses of owning two cars. Gas, insurance, maintenance—those costs add up quickly. 

Another thing I value about transit is the mental break it gives me. Nursing is a stressful job. Many of my coworkers talk about sitting in their cars in the driveway after work just to decompress before going inside to deal with family and household responsibilities. My ride home on the train or bus gives me that time to transition. I can just sit, think, and let go of the day’s stress before I walk through the door.

That said, Philadelphia’s transit system, SEPTA, has its challenges. It’s been underfunded for decades and the impact shows. Staffing shortages during COVID were especially bad—trains and buses would be canceled back-to-back due to operator unavailability, leaving riders stranded. Safety is another issue. Problems like the opioid crisis and homelessness manifest on the system, but I believe the solution isn’t more transit police—it’s more staff, more frequent transit service, and addressing the root causes of what people are facing.

To decision-makers, I’d say transit is essential. It keeps families in cities, makes housing affordable, and connects people to jobs, schools, and communities. It’s also critical for the environment, reducing traffic and emissions. We need more investment in transit to make it frequent, reliable, and safe. Transit is a lifeline for workers, families, and the future of our cities.