Author Archive: Dan Yablonsky

MASS MEETING TO PLAN FALL ACTIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT

Our state legislature did not pass a transportation bill which would have sustained public transit. So, we are again facing truly devastating cuts to Port Authority routes and service in the next few upcoming years. We must act decisively – too much damage will be done to our economy and our communities if we lose more service. We must build a more powerful mass movement in support of public transit and the health of our communities. 

We are extending an invitation all across Allegheny County to riders, drivers, and other transit supporters to a special mass meeting in downtown Pittsburgh on Saturday, July 20th at 10 am at the Human Services Building at One Smithfield St.

We ask your help in spreading the word. We ask you bring your own communities’ special concerns, and your own ideas for new directions. We ask you to bring your friends, co-workers, fellow riders and drivers. We ask you to join in building a truly mass movement that can move us all forward together.

Thanks to you all.

JOIN PITTSBURGHERS FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT IN THE FIGHT TO
DEFEND AND EXPAND OUR PUBLIC TRANSIT LIFELINES!

IMMEDIATE ACTION ALERT: PUBLIC TRANSIT FUNDING IN DANGER. 

The state legislature must pass public transit funding this year, or we will face big cuts in routes and service next year. We have less that two weeks before the budget is due and we must act together to demand dedicated funding for public transit.
  • JOIN A PRESS CONFERENCE AND PICKET FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT FUNDING, ON  TUESDAY, JUNE 25TH AT NOON AT THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE, 301 5TH AVENUE.
  • HELP DELIVER OVER 5000 LOCAL SIGNATURES IN SUPPORT OF PUBLIC TRANSIT
  • OPPOSE PRIVATIZING OUR PUBLIC TRANSIT FOR CORPORATE PROFIT. 
We will speak out FOR dedicated funding for accessible, affordable public mass transit and AGAINST corporate privatization of crucial public transportation infrastructure.

Demand dedicated state funding for transportation: Ask your representatives to act now and back legislation that would provide an adequate, stable source of revenue for public transit.

          Find your state representative(s) here.
And join at us at our mass meeting on Saturday, July 20th at 10 am at One Smithfield St. in downtown Pittsburgh to plan our fall actions.

For more information or to find out how you can help, email us at info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org or call 412-518-7387.

General Membership Meeting on June 15

You’re invited to join us for our monthly General Membership Meeting on Saturday, June 15th from 10-11:30 a.m. at the Allegheny County Human Services Building, One Smithfield St, in downtown Pittsburgh. This month we’ll be in the Homestead Grays conference room on the ground floor. 

Here’s the agenda: 

  • Discussion of Transportation Senate Bills 1 and Senate B700. How should PPT respond to concerns of privatization and regressive taxation of workers even as corporate tax rates are cut again?
  • Transit Tales updates
  • Discussion of new directions for PPT’s future
  • Organizing a much larger General Membership Meeting, using the thousands of new contacts from petitions to invite participation
  • Grants and other fundraising
  • Initial discussion of proposal for pay-what-you-wish monthly dues for voting membership.

Just one week away until the RUMBLE…


On June 4th, a convoy of buses will rumble from across Pennsylvania toward the Capitol Rotunda in Harrisburg. We’ll deliver solid information at the offices of every single one of our state legislators about why public transit is crucial to the health of all of our communities. Then we’ll raise a mighty human rumble up to the tip-top of the Rotunda dome at a rally, with speakers that include State Senators and Representatives, as well as riders and drivers from across Pennsylvania. 

Please join us! Port Authority buses will be leaving on Tuesday morning, at 7:30 am from two locations;

  • Freedom Corner in the Hill District, at the corner of Crawford and Centre.  
  • David Lawrence Convention Center underpass, near the intersection of 10th St. and Penn Ave and 10th St. Directions are on this web page. 

You can reserve your free meal and spot on the buses to Harrisburg here. You can take an 82 bus from downtown to Freedom Corner; for the 82 schedule, click here. You can find multiple buses which will bring you within close proximity to the Convention Center pickup location here: portauthority.org. 

Please pass on the invitation to your friends, family, co-workers, and to your fellow transit riders and drivers!

General Membership meeting this Saturday, May 18th

We’re in the home stretch before the Harrisburg rally on June 4th in support of public transit funding legislation. Please join us for our General Membership meeting on Saturday at 10 am at One Smithfield in the Human Services Building. Help us plan how to fill the buses to rumble the rotunda! 

Here’s the agenda:

1. Harrisburg rally planning
2. Petition drive: upcoming signature collection events
3. Transit Tales story recording – sign up to tell your own experiences of our public transit system
4. Fundraising

PPT celebrates Transit Day!

Pittsburghers for Public Transit joined GoBurgh to help kick off the first annual Transit Day in Market Square on Thursday, May 9th.  We helped distribute “Transit YES!” pins while collecting signatures for our Transit Bill of Rights.  Thanks to the organizers and everyone who turned out and signed up to help support the push for sustainable, dedicated funding for public transportation!

You can help us keep the pressure on our government officials to stop the cuts and create more, better, and cheaper public transportation by joining PPT and our coalition partners statewide to Rumble the Rotunda in Harrisburg on June 4!  Register today by clicking on the “Rally Registration” in our top menu.

Even if you can’t make the rally, you can still aid in our efforts by signing onto the Transit Bill of Rights Petition and getting your friends and family, neighbors and coworkers to do the same!  You can easily do so right now online by clicking on the above tab.  More transit, not less!

Transit Day is May 9th!

To draw attention to this crucial public infrastructure, both the Pittsburgh City Council and Allegheny County Council will be proclaiming May 9th to be Transit Day!

To celebrate our public transit system, Josh Verbanets of local band Meeting of Important People will rock Market Square at noon on May 9th, along with GoBurgh, Pittsburghers for Public Transit, the ATU, the Pennsylvania Interfaith Impact Network, the Committee for Accessible Transit and many other coalition partner community organizations and businesses.

Speakers will include County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, ATU Local 85 President Steve Palonis, and State Senators Jay Costa (D) and Randy Vulakovich (R).

GoBurgh and Pittsburghers for Public Transit invite all transit supporters to join us for music and rally to call on all our elected officials at both local and state levels to support the public transit so crucial to the health of our communities!

B.Y.O.B. Build Your Own Bus on May 5th

On May 5th, from 2-5pm, we’re having an art party at Assemble, 5125 Penn Ave, to make creative signs and a fleet of cardboard buses to rumble through the Capitol Rotunda during our big June rally in Harrisburg in support of public transit.

Even if you can’t come to the rally, you can make a visual splash in support of public transit! 

Assemble (art + technology space) and Pittsburghers for Public Transit will offer paints, markers, crayons, glitter, scissors, glue, poster board and all sorts of other goodies. On May 5th, please do bring your own creative ideas to 5125 Penn Ave, right next to the Merton Center on Saturday, Feb. 9th from 1-4pm. 

Everybody of all ages is welcome as long as they want to help keep our buses rolling! And there will be pizza from Spaks, too!

Big Actions Being Planned with Local and Statewide Coalitions: Be In On the Action!

Pittsburghers for Public Transit is working with a broad local and statewide coalition of organizations to build support for legislation which will provide far more funding for public transportation than the Governor’s plan. 


You’re invited to learn about our projects and campaigns and how you can contribute your talents, experience and expertise based on your own interests and concerns for public transit.  Please join us at our General Membership meeting this Saturday, from 10-11:30 am at the Allegheny County Human Services Building, One Smithfield in the Liberty Conference Room, in downtown Pittsburgh.