Over the years PPT has worked on a number of different campaigns of various sizes and scope, but our belief in the power of grassroots action has remained unchanged.
Thanks to our awesome membership, resident leadership, coordinating committee, and supporters throughout the city and county we have won a lot of our campaigns and made great strides towards making our transit system more equitable. Not all of our Community Campaigns were victorious. However, all of them contributed to winning a more transparent, equitable process at the Port Authority to increase the transparency and equity of the service restoration process.
🏆 When we fight, we win! 🏆
See below for the different campaigns that PPT has worked on, and feel free to shoot over an email if you want to learn more – info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org.
2020-2024
🏆 Mon Oakland Connector
PPT organized for years with residents of Greenfield and Hazelwood to divest funding from a privately run autonomous shuttle through Schenley Park and invest it in community needs like affordable housing, traffic calming, and transit improvements. In 2022, after elevating our call to become a widely-recognized campaign issue in the City of PGH Mayor Election, we won when PGH’s new mayor announced he was stopping the program and moving the money to fund other community needs. Check out our petition and alternative community-created plan here.
🏆 #VOTETRANSIT for Allegheny County Executive
The Allegheny County Executive is the most powerful person in Southwestern Pennsylvania when it comes to public transit – so in 2023 it was vital for transit riders to elect a Transit Champion into the position. PPT’s work that year educated candidates on how our transit system could be improved, and educated transit riders on the policy proposals that the candidates were promoting. Check out more on our successful County Executive #VoteTransit organizing here.
Pittsburgh 100 Days Transit Platform
In 2021, when a new Mayoral administration was elected to lead the City of Pittsburgh, PPT released a platform to outline how exactly the City of Pittsburgh (and any other municipality is Allegheny County) can help to improve public transit. We organized more than 30 organizaitons, 4 city council members and the Mayor-elect himself to support the platform. We were successful in organizing for nearly all the policies to be included in the Mayor’s transition plan and we continue to work on passing transit-friendly priorities at the City. Check out the 100 Days Transit platform here, and here for the review of the Mayor’s first 100 Days.
🏆 Beyond the East Busway Organizing Plan
PPT worked with a team of 12 community leaders to run a three-month organizing drive in the Mon Valley during the summer of 2019. We were able to engage more than 500 residents in 1 on 1 conversations to discuss what transit connections could improve their lives. From these conversations, we were successful in putting together a policy brief and mobilizing residents to incorporate all three priority alignments in PRT’s NEXTransit long-term plan.
Shakespeare Giant Eagle – Equitable Transit Oriented Development
check out this blog series for our work around the Shakespeare Giant Eagle site: (11/20/20 blog) (12/4/19 blog)(10/24/19 blog)(8/29/19 blog)
2015-2019
Riders Vision for Public Transit
After winning huge victories on the “Don’t Criminalize Transit Riders” campaign and the campaign for a BRT service plan that increased access for the Mon Valley, leaders on these campaigns put a vision together for improvements that would benefit riders and improve our system. The plan called for extensions to the East Busway and a suite of fare improvements that would lay the groundwork for future campaigns in those topics. This project taught us to be proactive in demanding concrete policies and projects that will improve transit for riders, and clarified the campaign topics that we fight for today – equitable infrastructure, affordable fares, better service, more funding, and electing champions for transit to public office! Check out info on “The Riders Vision for Public Transit“ here
Lexington Technology Park Equitable Transit-Oriented Development
Lexington Technology Park is a 16-acre plot of city-owned land near the East Busway that is prime real estate for equitable transit-oriented development. In 2017, PPT organized with residents of North Point Breeze and Homewood to open a community process to shape the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s request for proposals language. Communities won strong language in the RFP that directed developers to include affordable housing at the site.
Penn Plaza Residents Deserve Access
🏆 89 Garfield Community Campaign
Garfield residents testified at several Port Authority Board meetings and submitted a service change to restore service on the weekends. After a year long resident-led campaign, the 89 will now run on weekends in Garfield!
🏆 Amazon HQ2 ≠ P4
🏆 Don’t Criminalize Transit Riders
PPT worked with Casa San Jose, the Alliance for Police Accountability, and the Thomas Merton Center to overturn the Port Authority’s proposal to place armed police officers on transit to check fares! Click the link above to watch some testimony to the Port Authority and read about our concerns with the Port Authority’s proposal.
🏆 Duquesne Community Campaign
#MakeOurFaresFair
Through the fall of 2018 into the spring of 2019, riders led an effort to reform Port Authority’s fare structure. Demands included free transfers, lower cash fares, and fare capping. Through rallies, petitions, canvasing and testimony, riders won a consultant to examine the feasability of these policies. This campaign has grown into the #FairFares Coalition work listed in current campaigns.
🏆 Millvale Community Campaign
🏆 Penn Hills Community Campaign
The 79 will run all day and on weekends along the current P17 route.
🏆 Oakland-Downtown Bus Rapid Transit Proposal
🏆 Perry Highway Community Campaign
Residents along Perry Highway need their bus service restored. This campaign included several important community meetings and meetings with elected officials but the Port Authority has still not restored service. Click the link to learn about the campaign.
🏆 West Mifflin Community Campaign
2010-2014
🏆 Act 89 Statewide Transit Funding
PPT was a key coalition member in the fight to stave off severe cuts to the transit system in Allegheny County PA in 2011 and helped win the passage of Act 89 which extended funding to the state’s transit system until 2022! Stay tuned on our current campaigns page for any new campaigns related to transit funding.
🏆 Baldwin Community Campaign – the 44
In 2014, Baldwin residents – in collaboration with PPT – worked on a campaign that successfully restored service to the area via the 44. PPT helped organize a series of community meetings and survey almost 500 residents in Baldwin!
🏆 Groveton Community Campaign – the 20
In 2014, Groveton and Moon residents, bus drivers, and transit supporters worked together to make the case for bus service in these transit deserts. We successfully got the 20 Kennedy to run up to the Groveton community on weekdays!
Moon Township Community Campaign – the G3 Flyer & the 21
Residents in Moon still need adequate bus service in their neighborhoods! They have held community meetings and gained over 400 signatures on a petition to the Port Authority. If you live in the area and want to re-initiate this campaign, let us know!