Leadership

Scott A. Sauer, CSP, WSO-CSSD, Interim General Manager

Scott A. Sauer is the interim General Manager of SEPTA, the sixth-largest public transit system in the United States. With a workforce of nearly of 9,500 employees that enable the five million residents of the Greater Philadelphia region to connect to each other, SEPTA operates across six transportation modes and has 2,800 vehicles in service, 285 subway and rail stations, 13,000 bus and trolley stops, and 150 routes.

Mr. Sauer began his career with SEPTA in 1990 as a Surface Train Operator, quickly earning cross-qualifications in both light rail and bus operations. A second-generation transit professional, Scott follows in the footsteps of his late father, Robert, who served the Philadelphia Transportation Company and SEPTA for 30 years. Over the years, Sauer progressed through roles as a Subway/Elevated Train Operator, Transportation Manager, and Safety Officer. In 2013, he was appointed Assistant General Manager, System Safety, where he developed and implemented critical safety initiatives, including the System Safety Program Plan, Emergency Management Plan, and Accident & Illness Prevention Plan.

In 2017, Sauer was promoted to Assistant General Manager, Operations, overseeing all operational aspects of SEPTA, including Transportation, Control Center, Vehicle Maintenance,
and Station Cleaning. In 2022, Sauer was named Chief Operating Officer, expanding his oversight to include the Engineering, Maintenance and Construction division, Transit Police, and the Capital Programs.

His leadership has guided the organization through significant challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, cybersecurity incidents, civil unrest, and budgetary constraints. Sauer also manages a $2.5 billion annual budget, focusing on transformative projects such as rail fleet replacements, station accessibility upgrades to achieve full accessibility by 2035, and infrastructure improvements to enhance SEPTA’s reliability and state of good repair.

Mr. Sauer is a nationally recognized transit safety and operations expert, serving on multiple industry boards and committees, including two terms with the Federal Transit Administration’s Transit Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS), where he served as Chairman; the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee on Transit Safety and Security; the Northeast Corridor Safety and Security Committee; and the Board of Directors for Operation Lifesaver, Inc., a national rail safety organization. Since 2011, Scott has also been a faculty member in the USDOT TSI Associate Staff Program, teaching Transit Rail Incident Investigation and mentoring future transit professionals.

Scott holds a Master’s Degree in Environmental Protection and Safety Management from St. Joseph’s University and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. He is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) and a World Safety Organization Certified Safety and Security Director (WSO-CSSD).

SEPTA Board

A 15-member board runs SEPTA. City, county, and state officials choose the members.

Meetings

See the schedule of board meetings

SEPTA Board meetings are at 3 pm the fourth Thursday of each month, except in November and December, when the meetings are the third Thursday. The August meeting is subject to cancellation.

To attend, pre-register. Anyone who wishes to speak at the meeting must pre-register by 9 am the day of the scheduled meeting. The registration and meeting URLs and other information for attending is provided with the individual meeting listing on the meetings calendar.

To comment on meetings, call 215-580-7211 or email comments to BoardSecretary@septa.org.