This podcast, by the SEPTA Youth Advisory Council, aims to share the stories of the hundreds of employees, advocates, and riders of SEPTA who are working tirelessly everyday to make public transit better for the people of the Southeastern Pennsylvania region. Tune in to stay up to date on the latest transit news in our region.
Joe Picozzi’s take on SEPTA’s past, present, and future
State Senator Joe Picozzi, representing Northeast Philadelphia, shares his thoughts with the SEPTA Youth Advisory Council on what SEPTA is doing well, what a long-term funding solution could be, what Philadelphia could look like in the 2040s, and more. As the youngest state senator in Pennsylvania, he also gives advice to young people about running for office and his opinion on student fare cards.
SEPTA’s Accelerate plan, which is brought up a few times in this episode, can be found here: https://wwww.septa.org/accelerate/
Sign up for On Track, our quarterly newsletter here: https://www.septayac.org/
Disclaimer: The YAC is not a partisan organization and we do not make endorsements of specific candidates.
Interview starts at 2:40
23 Aug 2026
How the New Bus Network Came to Be
Lucy Silverman is back for another episode, this time with Dan Nemiroff, the Director of Service Planning at SEPTA. They talk about the development of SEPTA's New Bus Network, as well as how community and bus operator input was incorporated into route and frequency changes. Find out why and how New Bus Network came to be on this episode and then check out septa.org/initiatives/bus/ (http://septa.org/initiatives/bus/) to learn more about the specific changes.
Applications for several YAC positions are open! Head to septayac.org/apply (http://septayac.org/apply) to apply!
Interview starts at 2:36
3 Aug 2026
The Trolley Episode - Reflecting on the Tunnel Shutdown & Talking Trolley Modernization
In this episode, our newly minted YAC Chair Grayson Forester sits down to talk with two guests. First, Steve Humes, SEPTA's Chief Engineer to talk about the challenges the authority faced earlier in the year when it was forced to shutdown the trolley tunnel for an extended period of time, the lessons they learned from that, and the work they're doing to prevent such an incident from reoccurring. Second, Logan Axelrod, Deputy Planning manager for the Trolley Modernization program, to talk about the future upgrades and improvements coming to the trolley system.
For more information on the YAC check out septayac.org (septayac.org). For information regarding SEPTA service changes, check out septa.org (septa.org).
Steve interview starts at 3:05, and Logan interview starts at 22:05.
18 Jun 2026
How SEPTA became America's most efficient transit agency - Benjamin Aitoumeziane
The YAC sits down to chat with Benji, who heads up SEPTA's efficiency program and works in Government Affairs to discuss how SEPTA keeps finding ways to increase productivity and lower costs, and how the agency navigates it's relationship with key government stakeholders.
13 May 2026
How does SEPTA inspect its trackage?
Track Inspector Olu Okiemute sits down with the YAC to talk about how Track Inspectors monitor and maintain parts of the SEPTA Metro network. The episode covers how routine maintenance is conducted, and the nuts and bolts of SEPTA's proprietary network.
22 Apr 2026
Office of Transportation and Infrastructure Systems + SEPTA
Deputy Managing Director of OTIS, Michael Carroll, sits down with the YAC to discuss collaboration between SEPTA and OTIS, his role as a SEPTA board member, and the state of multimodal transit in Philly.
21 Mar 2026
Transit Oriented Communities
Jen Dougherty sits down to discuss the benefits of SEPTA's transit oriented communities program. This episode takes a closer look at the guidelines SEPTA has developed, how they compares to other authorities in the region , and some exciting news regarding the Ambler Regional Rail Station.
25 Feb 2026
Preparing for 2026
This week we were joined by MaryAnn Tierney, the chief officer of the SEPTA control room. MaryAnn discusses her work in helping to prepare SEPTA for the many large events coming to Philly in 2026 as well as her career in emergency preparedness.
Lauren Newman from Transportation Alternatives NYC sits down with YAC member Lucy to discuss the incredible activism and advocacy work of the Transportation Alternatives Youth Activist Committee. The YAC had the pleasure of meeting some of these young people last year. The work that they do in NYC is nothing short of inspiring. Learn more here: https://transalt.org/youth
14 Oct 2025
SEPTA's Internal Watchdog
Denise Wolfe joins the podcast to discuss her role as Inspector General at SEPTA and how her office works tirelessly to ensure the authority is a good steward of Pennsylvanian's tax dollars.
5 Sept 2025
Not Just A "Philly Thing"
Connor Descheemaker, coalition manager for Transit For All PA sits down to once and for all put an end to the claim that transit is a “Big City Issue” in Pennsylvania. Connor discusses how Transit For All PA continues to uplift transit users in PA’s rural and exurban communities and dives deep into the legislation their organization has put forward to fix the funding gap that threatens every transit in EVERY county in Pennsylvania.
16 Aug 2025
How Did We Get Here?
Erik Johanson, the acting treasurer and CFO of SEPTA shares new insights into the story of how and why SEPTA finds itself fighting for survival again. From Act 44 to Governor Shapiro's emergency flex of funds, this is the definitive story of the SEPTA Budget Crisis.
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