image description: text reads “Riders win more affordable fares! Learn more at fairfaresnow.org” overtop an image of PPT member Josh Malloy leading a rally to launch the fair fares platform in February 2020
More affordable fares are coming to our transit system because transit riders took action – but we need to continue organizing to make sure these discounted fares are made permanent and available to all.
Take part in the pilot program and help make affordable fares permanent for all SNAP households in Allegheny County.
Now, we are organizing a group of advocates who want to learn more about getting involved in this discounted fare program and who will help us make it permanent. If you receive SNAP/EBT benefits, and if you want to get involved in the campaign, sign up above and our organizers will contact you about how to get involved.
On Tuesday, September 27th, 2022, the Allegheny County Department of Human Services announced a new pilot program to test more affordable fares for low-income transit riders.
This announcement is a huge win for transit riders and it is only possible because together we all have been advocating and organizing for years. We’ve always known that cheaper transit fares would make it easier to move through our city. We’ve known that cheaper fares would put money back in our pockets for our families. Now cheaper fares are happening because of our advocacy.
But our work is not done. We need to make sure that more affordable fares become a permanent part of our transit system in Allegheny County – and we need your help.
Check out this video that recaps the years of organizing that have contributed to this win:
See this news coverage of the Discount Fares Pilot:
Move PGH and the City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) recently released the “Move PGH Mid-Pilot Report” that provides their assessment of year one of a two-year pilot “to bring Mobility as a Service (MaaS) to Pittsburgh.” This pilot program started in July 2021 and featured the deployment of Spin scooters, the first authorized electric scooter in Pennsylvania. The Spin deployment is the primary initiative of the Move PGH program and the focus of our criticisms, as the other members of the Mobility Collective have had minor roles in the pilot.
In this report, DOMI acts as a marketing agent for Spin, rather than as the city’s public agency that is responsive to the transportation needs of all its residents. DOMI parrots Spin’s narrative of being “accessible, affordable, and equitable” without acknowledging the important concerns of and harms inflicted on Pittsburgh residents who have the fewest transportation options.
Because of the persistent, unresolved issues around scooter accessibility, safety, affordability, environmental sustainability, and accountability, our organizations believe that the Move PGH pilot should not be renewed.
If accessibility were a true goal of DOMI and Move PGH, the report would have discussed the serious concerns of the disability community related to Spin scooters, which have been raised in correspondence to DOMI from the official Pittsburgh community disability advisory body, the City-County Task Force on Disabilities. The ADA requires that services, programs, and activities, when viewed in their entirety, must be readily accessible to and usable by persons with disabilities. The Move PGH pilot is not accessible to people with disabilities and there is no timeline for when it will become accessible.
Instead, the report’s discussion of “access” focuses on access to the scooters, not access by all people, and it neglects to mention how scooters additionally create access barriers on our city’s public rights-of-way.
There have been countless instances of scooters driven on and parked across sidewalks and in curb cuts, thereby obstructing sidewalks in a city where accessible and maintained sidewalks are in short supply. These are not minor inconveniences; for people with disabilities and people pushing strollers or cargo, abandoned scooters can render the sidewalk impassable. When this happens, it forces pedestrians into the street or leaves them trapped until the scooter is collected—and the scooters themselves show no indication of how to report this type of hazardous situation. The Move PGH Mid-Pilot Report does not disclose the prevalence of 311 complaints around scooter parking violations to the City of Pittsburgh, nor does it share data about how quickly Spin acts to remedy these issues when they arise or whether there are any consequences to Spin for these obstructions.
Those excluded by design from scooter usage mirror the demographics that need greater access to transportation:
Youth under 18
Older adults
People over 220 lbs.
Residents of communities with significant hills or valleys
People without access to smartphones or banking
People traveling with dependents or cargo
Low-income people
People with disabilities
If affordability were a true goal of DOMI and Move PGH, they would be concerned by the high cost of Spin scooters and the very low participation rate in the Spin low-income program. As CMU’s Tech4Society and Pittsburghers for Public Transit laid out in their February 2022 Mobility for Who? report, e-scooter rides cost nearly $5 dollars per mile, and even the low-income fare program is not affordable to many low-income families, costing $1.50 per mile.
Moreover, the number of people registered for Spin’s low-income program is exceedingly low—186 of 152,785 unique Spin users (0.1%)—in a city where nearly 20% of residents and nearly ⅓ of Black and Latino residents are below the poverty line.
The Move PGH Guaranteed Basic Mobility Pilot, introduced during the July 2021 rollout, has not yet successfully recruited 50 individuals to participate in the year-long pilot—perhaps because of the limitations of the possible users—which will put the Universal Basic Mobility implementation timeline past the conclusion date of the Move PGH pilot.
If climate benefits and transportation mode-shift were a true goal of DOMI and Move PGH, the report would find it troubling that a higher percentage of walking and transit trips (43.3%) are replaced by scooters than personal vehicle trips (35.7%), which indicates that a greater environmental harm is realized than benefit.
If equity were a true goal of DOMI and Move PGH, they would focus their time on increasing access to sidewalks and public transit, which clearly serve residents and neighborhoods with the highest transportation needs. While the City of Pittsburgh does not pay operators like Spin to operate in the city, significant city resources (such as city staff time, space on our public rights of way, use of police and 311 dispatchers, and lobbying for looser state regulations on scooters) are being directed to Move PGH instead of toward other critical and more equity-serving needs.
Because these critical resources–particularly city staff time and public right-of-ways–are limited, an equity-first approach would demand that marginalized and underserved communities get priority in decision-making and resource allocation.
The Move PGH initiative has lacked consideration and care for community input and equity concerns since its inception, and their report further illustrates this stance. Notably, those critiques outlined above are trivialized in the report as “a need for increased education” and “a learning curve and an adjustment to living with e-scooters in our streets.” As of today, the Pittsburgh Mobility Collective still includes no representatives of the public.
As a result,we, the undersigned organizations representing Pittsburgh residents who need greater access to mobility options, are calling for the City of Pittsburgh not to renew the Move PGH initiative, and that the State of Pennsylvania not renew the enabling e-scooter legislation. The demonstrated harms of the scooter deployment outweigh its benefits.
Mobility is a right. For too long, our city government has been disproportionately focused on private technology solutions like e-scooters that do not and cannot meet the needs of all Pittsburghers for safe, affordable, and effective transit. Now is the time for Pittsburgh to change course and prioritize solutions that benefit the residents who have the greatest transportation needs.
Picture of a red bus at the Wood St Stop downtown, with passengers boarding. The text reads, “Ride the Bus? You can make it better.”
Fall 2022
Pittsburghers for Public Transit is a grassroots nonprofit organization of public transit riders, workers, and residents who defend and expand public transit.
We are seeking a full-time community organizer to start in Winter 2022. The community organizer will work out of our Garfield office, but may work part-time remotely. The primary responsibilities will be to mobilize grassroots action for more equitable, affordable and sustainable transit service. The organizer will directly engage riders, bus operators and residents in community campaigns for expanded transit funding at the state and federal level, for fair fares, and for affordable housing and equitable development that puts people first. Relationship-building, leadership development and community engagement will happen through in-person, phone and digital means. The Organizer will report to the Director.
PPT has a very small paid staff team, and close collaboration is required between all four staff positions. This is not an entry-level position; we strongly prefer applicants with experience in community or labor organizing. Primary duties and responsibilities of the community organizer include, but are not limited to, the following:
Lead PPT base-building and leadership development
Bottom-line the member-driven organizing committee, and recruit, train and support new members
Develop and conduct member outreach plan
Build strong relationships and develop a leadership pipeline for PPT member engagement
Mobilize members to take action and track participation
Facilitate and lead canvassing days, phone banks, community meetings, events, and demonstrations
Create and distribute fliers and other outreach material
Manage and update the database of contacts and action history for each campaign
Assist in management of PPT interns, members and volunteers.
Assist with campaign planning and implementation, informed by transit riders and workers
Assist with strategic planning
Research transit needs, land use projects and policies that affect public transit riders and workers along with the community
Assist with coalition building, by identifying and collaborating with allied partners
Support fundraising efforts and events
Participate in digital content creation and use social media and online organizing tools to support virtual-to in-person engagement and leadership development.
Assist in setting up digital infrastructure for meeting registration, online petitions, and contact management. Assist in preparing call lists and online access for volunteer phone banking and email outreach.
Develop social media posts to drive engagement to PPT’s website, PPT meetings, and volunteer opportunities.
Assist with writing of PPT blogs on campaign position
Represent PPT in coalitions, meetings and events, and in communication with members of the media
Qualifications:
Organized, responsible, and independent self-starter with the ability to identify new opportunities, while effectively using existing resources
A minimum of 2-3 years of experience in grassroots community organizing or labor organizing
Proven ability to work as part of a team and to handle fast paced situations
Strong and effective communication skills (public speaking, writing, etc.)
Values self-improvement, open to giving and receiving feedback
Passionate about public transit, labor, environmental justice, and equity.
Believes in the power of collective action to bring about systemic change.
Experience working in an environment where commitment to justice based on race, ethnic origin, gender, age, sexual orientation and physical ability is an important institutional value.
Willingness to work a flexible schedule, including nights and weekends.
Willingness to travel throughout Allegheny County, and occasionally throughout the state of Pennsylvania.
Computer proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Google Drive, and a willingness to develop additional skills as needed. Familiarity with EveryAction, Callhub, Not Another Mail Merge, social media platforms, and graphic design skills are a plus.
Although PPT is a public transit advocacy organization, we often work in neighborhoods and with residents who have limited or no access to public transit, and so we prefer for applicants to have access to a reliable means of transportation.
Please send a resume and cover letter to Laura Chu Wiens, Executive Director, PPT via email at laura@pittsburghforpublictransit.org. To ensure prompt attention make sure to put “PPT Community Organizer” in the subject line.
Pittsburghers for Public Transit is an equal opportunity employer. Women, people of color, and members of other under-represented groups are highly encouraged to apply.
Salary is $50,000 a year, and includes high quality, fully-paid family health care, bus pass, 401k retirement contributions, and generous paid leave time. PPT is committed to an access-focused culture centered around disability justice principles, and believes in a workplace culture with a healthy work-life balance.
This month’s changes are less severe than the last two quarters (where service was cut more than 6%), so we’re grateful. However, we’re still operating with significantly less service than before the pandemic. Riders deserve an ambitous and transparent Operations Plan from PRT, so that they can know how, why, and when service will return.
Port Authority (now “Pittsburgh Regional Transit”) typically updates its service schedules 4 times every year. This was mostly suspended during the first year of the pandemic, but since 2021 they’ve been back to making these updates on a more regular schedule.
Unfortunately, 2022 has not been kind to our level of transit service. In March, Port Authority implemented a vaccine mandate that resulted in the elimination of nearly 100 highly-skilled transit workers. This mass firing was devastating for riders because our service saw huge spikes in out-of-service buses – up to 20% at times. PRT’s response to these astronomically high out-of-service rates was to cut back service a combined 6% in April and June (although by some measurements, these cuts may have been higher). We continue to call on PRT to reinstate all the workers who were fired and implement more strict masking and testing protocols for unvaccinated employees. PRT is short more than 200 transit workers. But with the number of worker retirements, that hole is only going to get deeper and mass rehiring is one of the only ways we can get our service back to more appropriate levels.
This quart’s changes weren’t as bad as April and June, but there are a number of examples of headways getting spread far beyond a level that is actually usable and reliable (like buses coming every hour and a half to every hour and 45 minutes in some cases). Also notable, for some reason, PRT’s descriptions of each route’s changes were much less detailed than they have been in the past – and some of PRT’s descriptions were just plain false. This is way less useful to riders, and the lack of transparency does not build trust with the agency. Why the change? It’s not for the better.
PPT has been publishing this blog series on PRT’s quarterly service updates for the past few years. Our goal is to translate what these quarterly changes will mean for riders.
The @PGH_Bus_Info Hotline is a volunteer-run Twitter account that gives riders updates on Port Authority’s daily happenings. The Hotline has no official connection to the Port Authority (again, it is a volunteer-run Twitter account) but the updates they provide are helpful nonetheless. The Hotline is a big supporter of PPT and an enormous advocate for public transit. We’re thankful for their support and happy to collab on these rider resources. Follow @PGH_Bus_Info Hotline on Twitter for more grassroots transit updates.
About how to read this blog
We’re going to sort this long list of changes from Port Authority into three categories based on what they mean for riders;
“The Good” = changes we like to see! Usually, improved or increased service that’s easier to use.
“The Bad (The Missed Opportunities)” = are examples of service getting worse.
“The middle of the road… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯” = changes that are neither good nor bad. Maybe a schedule shifts slightly, but riders won’t typically be able to tell the difference.
For each change, you’ll see the text and link that the Port Authority uses to describe each change, with a link to the new schedule. This is copy/pasted from PRT’s website…
Port Authority adjusts schedules four times a year. These changes are effective Sunday, September 4, 2022. Please look closely at the changes below, as service has been reduced on some routes based on current ridership, and to prevent some missed trips.
The good
67-Monroeville – Some weekday trip times have changed. Two new trips have been added to the inbound weekday schedules, and the short outbound trips have been extended to Monroeville Mall.
More service is a positive improvement for riders and businesses in Monroeville.
86-Liberty – Some weekday trip times have changed. New timetables have been prepared, and the 86-Liberty, 87-Friendship, and 88-Penn schedules have been combined.
In combination, the changes to the 86, 87, 88 will make it easier to ride the bus. For some reason when schedules changed last quarter these three buses that service much of the East End were all scheduled to leave town at nearly the exact same time instead of being staggered throughout the hour. This meant that instead of a bus coming every 10-15 minutes, riders would have three buses at once and then need to wait for a half hour. It was a strange and unfortunate oversite, but it seems to be mostly improved in this quarter’s changes. Also, slightly unfortunate, but the 86 now ends a bit earlier on all nights.
87-Friendship – Some Sunday trip 0times have changed. New timetables have been prepared, and the 86-Liberty, 87-Friendship and 88-Penn schedules have been combined.
88-Penn – Some weekday and weekend trip times have changed. New timetables have been prepared, and the 86-Liberty, 87-Friendship and 88-Penn have been combined.
93-Lawrenceville-Hazelwood – Some weekend trip times have changed. Four weekday trips have been added. The stop at Fifth and Desoto has been temporarily moved due to construction work in the area, to Fifth at Thackeray.
Great to see more weekday service added. But riders on the 93 really need more weekend service and a longer span of service. We hope to see this in future changes.
The bad (the missed opportunities)
6-Spring Hill – Some weekday and weekend trip times have changed.
It varies by the day of the week, but buses start later every day of the week (from 15 minutes later to 1 hour later) and end earlier in the day (from 10 to 20 minutes earlier). This may add complication for riders who need transfers to or from other lines.
PRT’s description is totally misleading. Turns out the weekday trips have changed too, and pretty significantly. Instead of every 30-minute headways, buses leave the East Busway outbound every 35-45 minutes instead of every 30 minutes. The weekend schedules haven’t changed all that much. Sunday trips operate 5-6 minutes earlier than the previous Sunday schedules.
3 runs were cut during the weekday. Weekday times also start a half hour later and end a few minutes earlier. Saturday changes weren’t too bad – and it now runs later – that’s good. Sunday changes also aren’t significant – the entire schedule just shifted a few minutes earlier.
38-Green Tree – Some Sunday trip times have changed.
Again, PRT’s description is misleading. Just like the 31, weekday headways have changed from 30 minutes to 35-45 minutes. For transparency and for service quality – this isn’t looking good. Weekday service ends 20 minutes earlier at night than the previous service.
Saturday trips went from every hour to every hour and a half or even longer. The only small trade-off is Saturday runs slightly past midnight now
Sunday has also been reduced to every 95 minutes but runs later till nearly 730 now.
57-Hazelwood – Some weekday and weekend trip times have changed. Weekend frequency is decreased. One inbound and one outbound trip have been removed.
It goes without saying, but people are getting sick of seeing service decreases. PRT needs to address its worker shortage and bring back all the workers who were fired while implementing a more strict masking/testing program for unvaccinated people.
Service previously was split between E Liberty and West Mifflin bus garages now only Mifflin handles it as a result service starts 10-40 minutes later on all days and ends slightly earlier. Service frequency is also slightly reduced.
69-Trafford – Some weekend trip times have changed. Weekday outbound trips will only serve Haymaker Village once per trip.
We’re unhappy to see these changes with Haymaker Village because it halves riders’ opportunities to access any businesses in that shopping center. Also disappointed to see that the Forbes Hospital extension continues to be a weekday-only service – people need to access hospitals on weekends too for work and for healthcare..
Service has been reduced from hourly to every 75 minutes and there’s now 1 less trip on weekdays which is sad to see
The middle of the road… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
1-Freeport Road – Some weekday and Saturday trip times have changed.
Changes penalize operators by reducing their break times. Now the average break time is only 7-12 minutes (if the bus isn’t late, which on a route as long as the 1 is very unlikely).
4-Troy Hill – Some weekend trip times have changed.
14-Ohio Valley – Some weekday and weekend trip times have changed.
15-Charles – Some weekend trip times have changed.
26-Chartiers – Some Saturday trip times have changed.
28X-Airport Flyer – Some weekday and Saturday trip times have changed.
Remember the “Airport Direct” trips that were introduced last Fall? They were trips that bypassed the Robinson loop to help deliver riders (and construction workers working on the new airport terminal) to the airport faster…. Well, these direct trips were short-lived. They were eliminated with this quarter’s changes. Womp womp.
51-Carrick – Some weekday trip times have changed.
So much service on the 51, and so many riders. We didn’t look too closely, but start and end times haven’t changed and service is still plentiful.
89-Garfield Commons – Some weekday trip times have changed. New timetables have been prepared, and the 74-Homewood-Squirrel Hill schedules have been combined.
Y47 Curry Flyer -The last outbound trip has been adjusted by one minute.
Holiday Park VFD Park and Ride –The Holiday Park VFD Park and Ride, located at 415 Old Abers Creek Road in Plum, will be closed due to the expiration of contracts with property owners, low ridership and alternative nearby park and ride locations. Riders of the P12-Holiday Park Flyer can find alternative parking at Alpine Village Park and Ride, located at 1559 Golden Mile Highway in Monroeville or the Plum Park and Ride, located at 1860 Golden Mile Highway in Plum. The stop at Route 286 at Holiday Park VFD will continue to be served.
Knights of Columbus Park and Ride – The Knights of Columbus Park and Ride, located at 10 W. Crafton Ave., Pittsburgh, will be closed due to the expiration of contracts with property owners, low ridership and alternative nearby park and ride locations. Riders of the G2-West Busway-All Stops should use the Crafton Park and Ride, located at 27 Station St., Crafton.
And if you want to get in touch with the volunteer-run @PGH_Bus_Info Hotline, you can give them a call at 412-759-3335 ONLY When PortAuthority Customer Service is Closed/unavailable or via Twitter anytime @PGH_BUS_INFO
The PGH Bus Info Hotline will be back on PPT’s blog in for the next set of changes. See ya then.
image description: image has PRT’s new logo and NEXTransit logo overlaid on a map of routes and a photo of riders exiting a downtown bus
A redesign of the entire transit system will begin with Downtown, and it kicks off 8/23.
We need to ensure that PRT is committed to expanding service and reversing recent cuts, by making our voices heard at public meetings, on-line surveys, or at any of their 8 pop-up events this month.
When PRT released it’s NEXTransit long-range plan last September, one of its top priorities was to do a redesign of the entire transit system. The agency recently announced that it would get started on that priority by beginning in Downtown, to get ready for the Oakland-Downtown BRT. This will impact 44 different routes at 23 different stops.
A network redesign can be an important opportunity to build a robust system that better serves the needs of riders and workers. It also can be harmful, if riders are not involved in the planning– in some other cities, redesigns have resulted in longer walks to stops in inaccessible corridors, reduced service, and even the privatization of fixed route transit through ride-hailing services. The stakes are high. We need you, PPT members, to drive the discussion about how transit can work better, and to ensure that our transit agency is planning both to improve service for the hundreds of thousands of its existing riders, and to enact a bold vision to bring new riders on board.
The process is still in the early stages, but we’re putting one demand right up front: the redesign of our system must expand service and reverse the cuts that have happened since the start of the pandemic. Please join the two meetings this week to learn more about the redesign process and uplift this call with us.
There are a number of ways that you can shape the course of this process.
First, you should fill out the online survey that PRT has published to their NexTransit website to identify what works well about downtown transit and was needs to be improved. You can fill out that survey here:
Next, you should keep your eye out for more public meetings. PRT held two public meetings at the end of August to kick off the redesign process, but more meetings will be coming up in the Spring as they move into the second part of the design process.
And finally – you should make sure to stop by one of PRT’s in-person pop-up events downtown to give feedback. THe full list of their Downtown outreach events is listed below.
PRT’s NEXTransit Downtown Community Outreach Schedule
PRT’s NEXTransit team is taking to the streets to collect feedback from transit riders downtown. Make sure to stop by one of their tabling events to share your input and to inform their process.
Tuesday, August 30th Liberty Ave / Wyndham, 1pm-2:30pm Sixth Ave / Smithfield St, 3pm-5pm
Thursday, September 1st Stanwix St / Fourth Ave, 8am-10am Market Square Farmers Market, 10am-2pm
Wednesday, September 7th Wood Street T / Liberty Ave/7th St, 11am – 2pm 7th St / Penn Ave, 2:30pm-5:30pm
Image description: screenshot of a custom map created with PRT’s tool. Map shows busiest bus stops layered over busiest transit streets.
Check out PRT’s downtown redesign webpage with lots of good info on downtown transit & planning history.
The website that PRT put together for this downtown network redesign is comprehensive. It gives some good background on different planning efforts and the type of information that will be informing their decisions. If you love maps, then you’ll especially love the site, as they give the ability to layer some interesting data for a deep look into how our downtown transit functions.
image description: Flyer for PPT’s delegation with ATU Local 85 for the 2022 Labor Day Parade. Includes a photo of PPT holding our banner with ATU Local 85 at the 2014 Labor Day Parade. ATU members are wearing blue shirts. A red Port Authority is in the background as we round the corner from Sixth ave onto Grant Street. Details for the event are included: “September 5th, 10am-1pm, meet 10am at 91 Crawford St, reach out to info@pittsburghforpublic transit if you need a ride, if you have questions, or if you have any other accessibility needs”
Join PPT and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85 as we march in the first in-person Labor Day Parade since the pandemic’s start!
PPT is a grassroots union of both transit riders and transit workers. We know that we are the ones using the system every day and that together, we have the knowledge needed to improve conditions for us all. One of our most fun celebrations of this community-union solidarity is when we march in the Pittsburgh Labor Day Parade – which is the oldest Labor Day Parade in the country!
The parade has been on pause since the start of the pandemic, but on September 4th, 2022 we’re getting the band back together. We’ll meet at 10am at the 91 Crawford St, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, right across from Freedom Corner. When we’re all there we’ll find our spot on the parade line with ATU Local 85. A 40′ PRT bus will join us for the march! We’ll walk our route (approx 1 mile) and then walk back to the start. If anyone needs rides to the event, or back to the start, just reach out to let us know: info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org.
RSVP below to join us and show solidarity with the labor that keep our city moving – September 5th, 10am-1pm. Meet 10am at St Benedict the Moore and reach out to info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org with questions or accessibility needs.
image description: photo of the dancefloor at PPT’s Summer Party. People have their hands up clapping and dancing.
PPT Members got together for the first in-person celebration since the start of the pandemic – the result was a magic summer party
On August 10th, at the Bartlett Shelter in Schenley Park, PPT Members had reason to celebrate. It was the organization’s Summer Party and the first time that Members had gotten together in-person. Even though the pandemic pushed us to organize in different ways than we had ever before, PPT members have been busy winning campaigns and supporting our neighbors.
After spending more than 2 years confined to digital, socially-distant organizing, people were so excited to see one another in real life. DJ Frank brought the tunes. Our friend Kyna catered some incredible food. And members brought their dance moves and good vibes.
When we needed a break from the party, we took a moment to hear some speeches from members who have been leading campaigns in the last year.
First, PPT Members Barb Warwick and Saundra Cole spoke about the amazing win from earlier this year when we pushed Mayor Gainey to cancel the Mon Oakland Connector, and shift the funding to neighborhood needs like affordable housing and safe pedestrian infrastructure. This is still an ongoing and urgent battle – especially as a 6-year-old boy was struck and killed by a driver in the greater Hazelwood area at the end of July.
Next, PPT Board-Member and bus operator Sue Scanlon jumped on the mic to talk about the different ways that we have supported transit workers over the last year. We turned out and turned up for workers as they fought the agency’s decision to ban employees from wearing “Black Lives Matter” masks. The union sued the agency and won in court earlier this spring. When Port Authority implemented its vaccine mandate in March, it fired 100 workers for failure to comply. This decision decimated service quality for riders, and made it more unsafe for riders who were forced to crowd onto fewer buses. We continue to make this demand as we look to the decisions that other agencies have made to keep riders safe and keep service in tact with strict testing and masking requirements for workers.
Finally, PPT Board Member Dean Mougiannis put together a history of PPT and how we’ve grown since our founding in 2010-2012. This history and perspective was helpful for framing our current struggles in the longer context of the organization, and also the movement beyond PPT.
When the crew was ready to groove again, the music started up and the desserts came out! Hugs and fistbumps were given as we split up to share rides and wait for buses to get home.
We also celebrated a strong close to PPT’s 10th Anniversary Membership Drive! Our drive brought 250 members on board for transit justice. Join PPT as a member today to help fight for a transit system that meets all our needs:
image description: photo collage with images of new PPT board members and text that reads “Congrats”, with confetti in the background.
Congratulations to the new PPT Board Members, elected by our general membership to lead us 2022-2024!
Pittsburghers for Public Transit is a democratic, grassroots, member-led organization and we practice what we preach.
So each Spring into Summer our members participate in a democratic process to determine a new group of leaders who will join our organization’s highest decision-making body: our Board of Directors. During May and June, members nominate fellow members to run for the Board. If the nomination is accepted, the member is placed on the ballot with other nominees. Then, for two weeks in July, all other members in good standing cast their votes. The winners are all invited to serve a two-year term.
This democratic, participatory leadership process is at the heart of our organizing. It keeps a core team of enthusiastic and committed members at the helm. Our Board of Directors is responsible for guiding the direction of PPT’s campaigns and organizational development.
We’re so excited to welcome this group of new and re-elected Coordinating Committee members in 2022 who’ll be leading us until 2024!
New Board Members elected from our General Membership
Andrew Hussein
image description: photo of Andrew Hussein
My name is Andrew Hussein, and I live in Penn Hills. My primary routes are 77, 79, P17, 86, and P16…. but to be truthful, you can find me on just about any route (no exaggeration) because I eat/sleep/breath/live all things public transit. Anyone who knows me knows that that is true. Transit is my sole means for transportation so I am acutely aware of the very real need for public transit to have a positive community impact.
I am a long-time member of PPT who has been working with the org since a brief few-month stint in the early days, back in an earlier iteration of the org called “Save Our Transit”. Years later I reconnected with PPT on their community campaign in Baldwin. We won that campaign and restored service to that neighborhood and I never looked back.
The skills that I bring to PPT are a significant all-around and general knowledge of the Port Authority system. I have a sincere passion for transit and its improvement. When I think of better transit I think of transit that is Fair, Equitable, reliable, useable, sustainable, readily and widely available – for as many folks as possible. Transit needs to fit as diverse a clientele and public needs as much as possible and I think that that is what we need to fight for together.
List of 3-5 projects or campaigns that the nominee has been involved with related to PPT, transit justice, activism, and/or movement building:
Current Vice President of the Allegheny County Transit Council (ACTC), current Executive Committee Member, and have been involved here for 5 years
I am also the founder and COO of the Bus Info Hotline, a Twitter and phone info line that is open for people to find out info and ask questions about Port Authority that I’ve been running for nearly 20 years. Check out our Twitter at @PGH_BUS_INFO
Involved in many of the successful neighborhood service campaigns started in 2014 that restored service to transit deserts through our county.
I am a PPT Communications Committee Member. I lead the creation of our Blog Series on the Quarterly Service Updates.
I have a significant all-around and general knowledge of the Port Authority system, PPT staff calls me all the time with questions about our system.
Fawn Walker Montgomery
image description: photo of Fawn Walker Montgomery
Fawn Walker-Montgomery is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Take Action Mon Valley (TAMV). She is a former candidate for Mayor in McKeesport and a past candidate for State Representative in the 35th District. Fawn was the first black person & woman to run for a State seat in the Mon Valley. She has a B.A. in Political Science from Johnson C. Smith University (HBCU) and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from Point Park University. Fawn has worked with PPT on various projects such as the BRT, fair fees, and removing cops from transit stops. She is also a past second-term Councilwoman in McKeesport and has 18 years of experience in the human services field. Fawn’s vision for PPT is that they increase membership in the smaller communities outside the City of Pittsburgh such as the Mon Valley. In addition, create specific campaigns to address the lack of transportation in these areas. Thus, having more of a county-wide focus.
List of 3-5 projects or campaigns that the nominee has been involved with related to PPT, transit justice, activism, and/or movement building:
A long-time activist for Police Accountability.
Leading efforts to decarcerate our schools and say “No” to School Police
Has supported various PPT projects over the years, including community organizing to defeat the Bus Rapid Transit service plan that would have cut service to her city, co-developed & launched the “Fair Fares” platform, and many more.
Lisa Gonzalez
image description: photo of Lisa Gonzalez
My name is Lisa Gonzalez and I ride the bus every day. I have been doing so for my entire life. I raised a family while being a bus rider. 3 of my kids, and now 1 of my grandkids, all had to learn how to ride the bus because it is important to make our family work.
I have been fighting for better public transit as an elected leader of Pittsburghers for Public Transit for the last 7 years. I want to continue this leadership on the PPT Board to ensure that we make changes in a positive way. My vision for the organization is to recruit school students and new members because public schools and youth activism is important to me.
As far as my background and experience, I have been an advocate in one form or another in struggles for education, housing, and in the community where I live in carrick. I have served on several boards throughout the years. In the past, I have served as one of the parents representing Pittsburgh Public School Region 3 families on the Title One Parent Advisory Council at both the local and state levels. Currently, I’m on the Carrick Community Council Board of Directors and I’m an advocate for the Western Pennsylvania Bleeding Disorders Foundation.
List of 3-5 projects or campaigns that the nominee has been involved with related to PPT, transit justice, activism, and/or movement building:
I was also involved in calling for an expansion of affordable housing with the Pennley Park Apartments/Penn Plaza campaign.
I helped to develop the 100 Days Transit Platform that informed Mayor Gainey’s Transition plan.
I serve on the Carrick Community Council and help uplift public transit as an important neighborhood priority. We stopped the Port Authority from removing a bus stop in front of a senior center in my neighborhood.
I am very active in Pittsburgh Public Schools. I work as a volunteer support staff at Pittsburgh Liberty in Shadyside and have helped students better understand how to use transit as a Transit Ambassador with A+ schools, and have presented to classes with PPT.
Ricardo Villarreal
image description: photo of Ricardo Villareal
My name is Ricardo Villarreal. I have been in love with the culture of the US for as long as I can remember. That is why I decided to immigrate here. Since getting here, I have joined Casa San Jose. I have been inspired by the work they do to help the community and I want to contribute to this mission of building strength in the community.
When the Red Line was down and transit riders were faced with terrible wait times, I felt compelled to join Pittsburghers for Public Transit. I spoke out about the importance of transit to the immigrant community at the “Transit Justice is Environmental Justice” rally. It would be a delite to lead Pittsburghers for Public Transit with my skills because I consider transport core to the advancement and success of modern cities.
I describe myself as being a teamwork-oriented person. I can quickly analyze data and propose process improvements to strengthen organizing. I’m an empathic person with a multicultural approach. My professional training has occurred in many different countries, including the US, Latin-American countries, and The Caribbean andI can quickly put myself in the shoes of others, understand, and help.
I am a proud Latino, native Spanish speaker, and the father of two grown children. I enjoy playing music and reading and do not like shortcuts. When problems arise, I thrive and I do not shy away from complexities with a hands-on attitude.
List of 3-5 projects or campaigns that the nominee has been involved with related to PPT, transit justice, activism, and/or movement building:
Immigrating to Pittsburgh was an awakening to community awareness. I met amazing people at Casa San Jose in the middle of the pandemic. It was a scary time, but Casa inspired me to get active in helping people.
I am a restaurant worker. Culture and food are important to me. And so is helping my co-workers with my skills in English.
I do professional work in data and surveying
Student organizing
I have volunteered to play guitar and sing on serenades at hospitals for Mother’s Day.
Verna Johnson
image description: photo of Ms Verna Johnson
My name is Verna Johnson and I am a resident of Lincoln-Lemington. I am a disability justice activist and serve as the current chair of PPT’s Board of Directors.
I first became involved with PPT in 2015 during the campaign to save service on the 89 Garfield Service campaign. The fight for better public transit in communities receiving less and less public transit resonated with me, and I continued to join PPT meetings and joined as a member. One benefit of being a PPT member that surprised me was the democratic decision-making process, and I felt that my lived experience was valued. I began to see how people from different walks of life could work together and make decisions that directed campaigns and the course of PPT. I have helped grow PPT by organizing riders during my time on the board. Being a board member has given me a greater understanding of how change can happen on a systemic level.
In addition to working on issues surrounding transit justice, I have been co-chair of the Allegheny County Coalition for Recovery’s Commission on Health and Human Services as co-chair and helped people receive financial assistance. I’ve also rallied outside of elected officials’ offices to support federal workers during the previous government shutdown with fellow members. I also phonebank with Just Harvest and register community members to vote at Veterans Affairs. I am deeply committed to bringing more people into the fight for transit justice and holding our transit agency accountable to the riders and workers.
List of 3-5 projects or campaigns that the nominee has been involved with related to PPT, transit justice, activism, and/or movement building:
89 Service Restoration Campaign
#FairFare for a full recovery in 2020
Don’t Criminalize Transit Fares campaign
Canvassing at transit stops, talking with riders, and public speaking on behalf of PPT
New Board Members elected to a Board seat that is specially reserved for transit workers
Sue Scanlon
image description: photo of Sue Scanlon
I absolutely love PPT. I am so proud of all the work we’ve done to defend jobs, expand routes, and help passengers. The work we have done over the last 10+ years has saved the whole community because we connect people to the things they need in our city and region. We have built such a community with our organizing. It feels like being part of a superhero squad.
I have been a bus operator at Port Authority (ahem, I mean, Pittsburgh Regional Transit) for 22 years. I have seen the agency during its highs and its very lows. Unfortunately, we are now at one of those lows. I want to continue being part of the movement to fix it. I consider myself a pretty good activist. I have the conviction to be out in the street, although I am always learning as an organizer.
How can we bring people together with love and consciousness to fight for our common good? When I look to the future of PPT, I want to see us keep building our base of organizers and activists. We are going to keep spreading our message across the city, state, and the entire country. We will remain on the cutting edge of activism for transit justice.
Our movement isn’t about me or any individual person. It is about what we can all do when we work together. It is about building a better world out of the situation we are in today. Everything is about community.
List of 3-5 projects or campaigns that the nominee has been involved with related to PPT, transit justice, activism, and/or movement building:
The very first campaign I was involved with was restoring transit service in Baldwin, circa 2014. It was such a great campaign because it showed how communities can come together to fight for each other’s needs.
I was also involved in the fights for Act 89, rallies Downtown, and Squirrel Hill, circa 2011. We shut down Forbes Avenue and Murray Avenue. It was an example of how labor and organize together with communities to improve service and jobs.
In 2020 and 2021 I helped my ATU brothers and sisters start and eventually win the right to wear Black Lives Matter masks on the job. We staged protests and brought the case to court. You can read more about the win here.
I’ve also been involved with helping other unions in solidarity – I started the campaign for workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to get a contract. Helped organize PPT members to picket in front of John Block’s house and at the Post Gazette. Met a ton of great people in this work.
I also represent PPT on the PA Poor Peoples Campaign steering committee. I have traveled to DC, I don’t even remember how many times, to fight for the working class. I have been working to help people realize we’re all in this together and that we all have to work together to get what we need.
image description: a photo of the blue Washington Ave bridge and the East Busway below, with white letters superimposed overtop that say “A WIN!”
Swissvale residents are successful with a community petition to reopen the Washington Ave. bridge to pedestrians – now it’s time to dream!
Last week, on July 7th at around 7pm, PennDOT ordered the Washington Ave Bridge in Swissvale to close IMMEDIATELY to all traffic. According to a recent Post Gazette article, “Days prior, on Thursday, a woman reported feeling movement on the bridge as she drove over it,”.
The bridge is owned by the railroad company Norfolk Southern. The company had let the bridge deteriorate to the point of near unusability, and now, a vital community connection was lost. The unannounced closure had a huge impact on pedestrian access to transit lines on the East Busway, and small businesses in Swissvale’s center. Suddenly, a walk that was typically 5 or 10 minutes would now take 15 minutes to a half hour. This distance was not only a huge inconvenience to transit riders in Swissvale, it became an insurmountable obstacle to neighbors who have difficulty walking.
image description: screen capture from news story that aired on WPXI about the community petition to reestablish pedestrian access.
“If you have any kind of mobility issues, or if you have to work a second job, this could potentially ruin your life…. Before it took me about 45 minutes to get to work, yesterday it took me an hour and a half to get home.” – Hannah Bailey
Hanna Bailey, Swissvale Resident, Transit Rider, and Swissvale Community Action Member
The organizing push was so hard that memes (yes, memes) even happened:
image description: a meme created by a Swissvale resident. Text reads “No way to the busway!?” with a link to bit.ly/swissvaleaccess the image on the left is a grayscale illustration of a cartoon bus with a sad face passing by an empty bus stop, a speech bubble is coming from the bus that says “Where are all my friends?”. The second image shows the closed-down bridge with a speech bubble that says “Since they won’t fix me, no one can get to the station.” A second speech bubble says “but YOU can help restore access! Sign the petition!”
By the afternoon of July 14th, the PennDOT had announced that the bridge was deemed safe for pedestrian access and that the bridge would open that afternoon.
Check out this article from the Post-Gazette on the reopening announcement. The article also announces that next steps on the closure will be up for discussion at an upcoming public meeting, but does not include a date. However, a source confirmed with PPT that the article is referencing the next Swissvale Borough Council Agenda meeting on July 27 at 7pm. Here’s more info on how to attend that meeting.
BUT WE WON’T STOP HERE! Now is the time to keep organizing for better transit access. So tell us, how can transit access be improved to better serve Swissvale and the towns that surround it?
More frequent transit? Better sidewalks? More Trees? Better bus stops? Affordable housing? If you live and frequent this community, please take two minutes to help build this vision for transit access can be improved:
image description: digital flyer for PPT Summer Party. Collage of three images from past PPT events show members smiling, wearing PPT shirts, with fists raised. A PPT logo and text is overlaid in the upper left-hand corner that reads: “PPT Summer Party. Food, Drink, Goodtimes, August 10th, 6-8pm, Bartlett Shelter, Schenley Park”.
PPT’s Summer Party to celebrate the campaigns we’ve won and the community we’ve built.
August 10th! 6-8pm! Mark your calendars for the first in-person party that PPT has held since the start of the pandemic. It’s been a long, difficult road since March 2020, but we’ve kept up our organizing and shown that transit rider power can pull us through the worst of times.
The pandemic has challenged us like never before, but we have a lot to celebrate. The PPT community has come together to push for service to be expanded to those who need it most. We’ve won the first-ever long-range plan for transit expansion – and we’ve secured millions of dollars to expand service. We defeated the Mon Oakland Connector and we’re fighting for investments in affordable housing and community needs. We’re building a strong and growing membership program to bring more people into this work.
Join us at the Bartlett Shelter in Schenley Park on August 10th, 6-8pm. Food, drinks, music, and good times will be provided. Feel free to bring a side dish or dessert to share.
Accessibility information: The Bartlett Shelter is accessible via the 58, 65, and 93 bus routes. Bike parking and car parking are also nearby. There is an overhead cover in case of rain. The shelter is approximately a 300′-500′ walk from the bus stops, parking, and nearest bathrooms. There are numerous picnic tables and benches for seating. PPT will also bring some folding chairs with and without arms for additional seating. A DJ will be playing music that can be adjusted to a volume that is comfortable for all. Please reach out to PPT with any questions or accessibility needs.
Reserve your tickets below and sign up to volunteer!
