Scott Sauer Named SEPTA Interim General Manager

Scott Sauer has been named interim general manager of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). Sauer has most recently served as chief operating officer for the agency. He succeeds former General Manager Leslie S. Richards, who stepped down at the end of November.

Sauer began his career with SEPTA in 1990 as a surface train driver, progressing through such roles as subway/elevated train driver, transportation manager, and safety officer, before being appointed assistant general manager of system safety in 2013.

In 2017, Sauer was promoted to assistant general manager of operations, overseeing all operational aspects of SEPTA, including transportation, control center, vehicle maintenance, and station cleaning. He became chief operating officer in 2022, expanding his oversight to include the engineering, maintenance, and construction division; transit police; and capital programs.

Sauer has served two terms with FTA’s Transit Advisory Committee for Safety (TRACS), including as chairman. He has been a member of 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. Since 2011, he has also been a faculty member in the USDOT TSI Associate Staff Program, teaching transit rail incident investigation and mentoring future transit professionals.

For APTA, Sauer is a member of the Board of Directors, is secretary of the Commuter Rail Chief Operating Officers Subcommittee, and is a member of the Safety Coordinating Council and Rail Transit Committee.

The SEPTA Board of Directors will continue to seek a permanent successor to Richards.