Get your tickets today! Join riders and workers from across the state and country at the Transit for All Advocacy Spring Training, March 20th and 21st in Pittsburgh, PA!
Get ready for the 2026 National Transit Advocacy Spring Training! Riders, workers and transit supporters from across Pennsylvania & the US will meet in Pittsburgh, PA March 20th and 21st and YOU are invited!
Transit can transform our communities – but it is up to us as organizers to build the grassroots movement to make it happen!
This March, you are invited to join Pittsburghers for Public Transit and advocates from across the country at the third annual Transit for All Advocacy Spring Training. It’s going to be BIGGER AND BETTER. We will have workshops on telling a compelling transit story to elected leaders and using it to win your demands; transit worker organizing and building common cause with riders; taking transit service demands into a state funding fight; galvanizing municipal elected officials to support transit riders with land use and infrastructure demands… and more! This organizing training day will have workshops led by local advocates and advocates outside of Pittsburgh, and will have topics relevant to transit organizers at all levels and all regions.
We will host a pre-training day Transit Tour and Happy Hour on Fri, March 20th. The next day, March 21st, is spring training day, jam-packed with a morning plenary, workshop schedule, a mobile tour, and lots of community-building with comrades from across the country. Space is limited and pre-registration is required for Friday evening’s Transit Tour. A bus pass will be provided for your adventure with us! You do NOT need to attend the Transit Tour to join us at happy hour, where you’ll enjoy a complimentary beverage and hors d’oeuvres. On Saturday, you can expect continental breakfast, hot lunches and afternoon snacks.
Last day to register for Spring Training is Friday, 3/13/25.
Quick Look at Schedule and Locations
(when the schedule is finalized, workshop details & presenter bios at the bottom of this page)
Friday, March 20th:
Transit Tour and Welcome Happy Hour
Aslin Beer Company
- 3:30-5 PM: Transit Tour beginning at Friends Meeting House 4836 Ellsworth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
- 5-7 PM: Spring Training Kick-Off Happy Hour, location TBD in the City of Pittsburgh
Saturday, March 21st
Courtyard Pittsburgh University Center
100 Lytton Ave., Pittsburgh PA, 15213
- 8:00-9:00 AM // Check-in
- 8:30-9:00 AM // Continental breakfast and Networking
- 9:00-10:00 AM // Opening Plenary
- 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM // Workshop Block 1, advocates choose from:
- Developing Strong Transit Worker-Rider Alliances
- Sharing Your Transit Story: Effectively Using Your Story to Mobilize
- 12:00-1:00 PM // Lunch (provided with RSVP)
- 1:00-2:30 PM // Workshop Block 2, advocates choose from:
- Identifying Power in Your Personal Networks: Spidermapping
- MI, MD and PA Case Studies: Statewide Funding Fights for the Transit Service we Deserve
- Let’s go for a walk! (Mobile Workshop – space limited, pre-registration required)
- 2:45 – 4:15 PM // Workshop Block 3, advocates choose from:
- How to Facilitate Excellent Community Meetings and Navigate Conflict in the Moment
- Campaigns 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Building a Winning Strategy
- 4:15 – 4:30 PM // BREAK Refreshments and Snacks
- 4:30 – 5:00 PM // Closing Statements and Farewell
- 5:00 – 5:30 PM // Social Time
Logistics
Location Information
The Courtyard Pittsburgh University Center is located at 100 Lytton Ave, Pittsburgh PA 15213, in the amenity-rich Oakland neighborhood.
The hotel is very easily accessible from the airport via public transit. It is about a four-minute walk or roll from the Fifth Ave and Tennyson Ave PRT stop, which is serviced by the following routes:
- 54 Northside-Oakland-Southside
- 58 Greenfield
- 61A North Braddock
- 61B Braddock-Swissvale
- 61C McKeesport-Homestead
- 61D Murray
- 67 Monroeville
- 69 Trafford
- 71A Negley
- 71B Highland Park
- 71C Point Breeze
- 71D Hamilton
- 75 Ellsworth
- 81 Oak Hill
- 83 Bedford Hill
- 93 Lawrenceville-Hazelwood
- P3 East Busway-Oakland
If any of these transportation modes are cost-prohibitive for you, contact PPT to discuss options, at 551-206-3320 or info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org by April 23, 2025.
Accessibility Information
The Courtyard Pittsburgh University Center has accessible onsite parking and an accessible main entrance. All meeting areas are accessible, and there are elevators throughout the building. More information about their accessibility features can be found on their web page.
Food and Drink:
At happy hour on Friday let PPT buy your first round! There will be hors d’oeuvres too! Food will be brought out before 6pm (if you arrive on the later side there is no guarantee there will be food left). If you are curious about Aslin Beer Company’s menu you can take a look at it here.
On Saturday, PPT will provide a continental breakfast for participants in the morning, lunch, and snacks towards the end of the day.
PPT will label provided food with common allergens.
COVID-19 Procedures:
Masks are encouraged indoors at our events and will be available on-site at check-in. We also encourage everyone to take an at-home COVID-19 rapid test before arriving. Please stay home if you are feeling sick or have come into contact with someone who has COVID-19. The Courtyard Pittsburgh University Center has on-site parking, elevators, and accessible public entrances.