[Image Description: a PPT member talks expressively with her hands, decorated by red starbursts. Text reads, “TOOLKIT: Organize your community to stop the cuts!” next to the Pittsburghers for Public Transit logo.]

PRT has proposed massive, devastating cuts to Pittsburgh’s transit system in the face of a state funding cliff. We need your help: organize your community to speak out against these cuts, and help us win protected, equitable, and expansive transit funding from the state!

Here’s how you can help:

1. Take Action with Transit for All PA!
2. Make Your Voice Heard with PRT
3. Post Flyers in Your Community
4. Talk or Present to Your Community

Take Action with Transit for All PA!

Take action with our statewide coalition, Transit For All PA!, and join with a network of thousands of riders, workers, and organizations from across the state–from big cities to small towns. 

First, send this letter and share it with your community! We have sent more than 50,000 letters to state elected officials urging them to fully fund public transit. Your letter will be sent to your state senators and representatives, as well as leaders on both chambers’ appropriations and transportation committees.

Next, volunteer to join an in-person meeting with your state legislators and tell them why transit funding matters to you! We can prep you for the visit and match you up with a buddy if needed. This is a great, hands-on way to keep the pressure on and show legislators that transit really is a lifeline. 

Make Your Voice Heard with PRT

We also need to keep the pressure up on our local officials! Consider organizing a group from your community to tell PRT, in an official comment, how the proposed cuts would impact your community.

You can leave a comment with PRT in three ways: 

1. Online: Complete this survey
2. By phone: Call PRT’s public comment inbox at 412-566-5525. Be sure to leave your name, zip code, and a message.
3. On paper: You can fill out a paper survey at PRT’s downtown service center (623 Smithfield St, Pittsburgh, PA 15222)
   OR
   Mail your written comment to this address:
   Pittsburgh Regional Transit
   ATTN: Funding Crisis
   345 Sixth Ave, 3rd floor
   Pittsburgh, PA 15222
4. In person: PRT will be hosting three public hearings to gather comments from the public about the proposed cuts. You can sign up for these hearings using this link, although walk-ins are also welcome.
   The hearings will take place on:
   1. Tuesday, April 29, 2025, 9 AM-1 PM and 3-7 PM, at David L. Lawrence Convention Center (Pittsburgh Ballroom, 3rd Floor)
      PPT will be hosting a rally before this hearing on Tuesday, April 29th from 1:30-2:30 PM at 983 Penn Ave. Sign up to join us!
   2. Tuesday, May 6, 2025, 9 AM-1 PM and 3-7 PM, at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall and Museum (1st Floor Auditorium)
   3. Thursday, June 12, 2025, 9 AM-1 PM and 3-7 PM, at David L. Lawrence Convention Center (Room 302-204)

If you’d like additional preparation to make sure your testimony is super effective, check out our tip sheet for writing great public comments.

Post flyers in your community

We need to get the word out across the city–and you can help by flyering your local bus stops, coffee shops, libraries, and community spaces! The more people that know about these cuts, the better. Download our flyer, print them out, and get to posting!

Talk/present to your community about the cuts

Official communications about the cuts can be confusing, and sometimes a debrief from a trusted friend can help new communities understand the issue and be galvanized towards action. You can start this process by presenting to your local community groups or organizations about the proposed cuts, state budget crisis, and how it could affect them. 
Read our blog and PRT’s website to learn how the cuts would affect your community.

Then, download our slide deck and adapt it with more information about your community to present at your next community meeting. We’ve got basic information about the cuts in the slides, a group activity to practice organizing conversations, plus helpful presenter notes and a space for you to add slides with specific information about your community.