image description: graphic has group of transit activists holding “Transit for All PA!” signs with fists up and text atht says “Save our Service! Rally for transit funding to serve our communities April 29 1:30-2:30 955 Penn Ave, 15222”
SOS! Stop the cuts! Stop the fare hikes! It’s time to SAVE OUR SERVICE and win transit funding to move us all!!
Devastating cuts of up to 35% of our bus and T service and 62% of ACCESS services have been proposed to take effect in Allegheny County if the Pennsylvania state legislature fails to pass new funding for transit for next year. The impact of these cuts would be staggering- for riders, for our economy and businesses, for our region’s road congestion and air quality. Bus lines are lifelines, and our lifelines are on life support.
Riders, transit workers and Allegheny County elected officials are standing together to say, “NOT ON OUR WATCH!”
On the first day of Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s first public hearing on the funding crisis, Transit for All PA!, Pittsburghers for Public Transit and Mobilify Southwestern Pennsylvania are cohosting a rally and press conference outside the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.
Join transit riders and workers, County Executive Sara Innamorato, Pittsburgh Regional Transit CEO Katherine Kelleman, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership and the Allegheny County Pennsylvania state delegation to show that we are united in the fight for state funding, for the transit service we deserve!
image description: text reads “#VoteTransit Mayoral Questionnaire Candidate Responses” with photo of 4 candidates running for mayor.
Read what the Candidates running to be PGH’s next Mayor have to say about public transit. Take our #VoteTransit Pledge to commit to electing a transit champion!
With Election Day around the corner on May 20th, city residents will have the chance to choose who should be the next Mayor of Pittsburgh. We at Pittsburghers for Public Transit know that there is a lot that City and municipal leaders can do to improve access to public transit – from improving sidewalks, to building bus shelters, to creating land use and employee policy that support transit access – even though the Mayor doesn’t have direct control over the transit agency itself.
This year, we put together our #VoteTransit 25/25/25 Goal for candidates running to lead our city–and we want them to commit!
Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s Transit 25/25/25 Goals:
Mayoral and City Council candidates must pledge to:
Close 25% of the City’s Sidewalk Network Gaps
Install 25 New Bus Shelters Per Year
Ensure 25% of the New Housing Units Built Near Our Best Transit Assets are Deeply Affordable
Pittsburghers for Public Transit held a Mayoral Forum on April 9th (which was attended by all candidates except Corey O’Connor) and we issued a short two-question questionnaire for written responses included below. Read on to learn what each candidate said about our goal to build more bus shelters, better sidewalks, and more deeply affordable housing near great transit.
Join more than 2,000 people who’ve taken the #VoteTransit pledge to vote for a *Transit Champion* on Election Day!
Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s #VoteTransit Questionnaire, as answered by Democratic candidates for Mayor of Pittsburgh
1. Do you agree with the #VoteTransit 25/25/25 Goals? If not, what targets would you set as Mayor in this coming term around sidewalk network gap closure, new bus shelter deployment, and the development of more units of affordable housing by the busways, T and our frequent service corridors?
Mayor Ed Gainey
I agree with these goals. From the beginning of my administration, I have stood with transit riders, bike/ped advocates, and everyone in our community who has a vision of how to make equitable mobility a reality in our city. These goals are a powerful next step that have been created by people directly impacted by these issues and I look forward to working with you to implement them.
Corey O’Connor
Yes, I agree with the goals above. Closing sidewalk gaps, adding additional bus shelters, and building more deeply affordable housing near transit would all work together to make our city a safer, more accessible, and more pleasant place to live.
2. For the targets that you are proposing, what are your specific plans to fund and implement the sidewalk network gap closure, install the new bus shelters per year, and ensure housing by transit is affordable? What are the obstacles that you see in meeting your goals, and how would you overcome them?
Mayor Ed Gainey
Sidewalks: When it comes to sidewalks in our city, we have an archaic system that places responsibility for sidewalk maintenance with the property owner. This means that property owners in wealthier communities are better able to keep their sidewalks in good repair than people in lower-income communities. My administration has begun to address this issue with a pilot program that uses city resources to replace large sections of sidewalk – which is more cost effective than having a single property owner replace their own sidewalk – then bills that back to the property owner at cost, and on a payment plan as needed. Not only is it less expensive for the property owner, it allows large sections of sidewalk gap to be repaired at once and increases equitable access to ccessible sidewalks.
Because of this system, as well as the City’s funding constraints over the next two years, closing 25% of the sidewalk network gap will require creativity, persistence, and partnership. Cities like Denver, with its sidewalk fee, are coming up with innovative ways to repair sidewalks and fill gaps. I’d like to work with Pittsburghers for Public Transit, the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure, and City Council to consider solutions to come up with the revenue necessary to close this gap over the next four years.
Bus shelters: One way to potentially identify the revenue necessary to create 25 new shelters per year would be for the city to take over shelters from Gateway and start bringing in that ad revenue ourselves – then using that to install more shelters.
Affordable Housing: We can only achieve the goal of 25% of new units near our best transit assets being deeply affordable if we create deep partnerships between the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Housing Authority, and our other affordable housing partners. My administration has modeled how this is possible by creating and preserving 2,000 units of affordable housing in our first term and beginning a process to reshape the Housing Authority. My administration also has bills currently before the Planning Commission and City Council both for transit-oriented development as well as Inclusionary Zoning, which would require that 10% of all housing built in our high-density zones, including transit corridors, be affordable. It’s proving to be a battle because many of our market-rate developers and their allies on City Council simply don’t want to participate in that – no matter how many tax breaks and density incentives we offer to let them build more and make more money. We’ll continue to move toward this goal using all our resources; from organizing ordinary Pittsburghers in every neighborhood to continuing to demonstrate the effectiveness of our affordable housing development. In a second term, I hope to partner with PPT to select a set of transit stations or neighborhoods with best-in-class transit to create flagship projects that demonstrate to the city what a transit-oriented future will look like.
Corey O’Connor
Meeting these ambitious goals will require a combination of local investment, state grants, and innovative funding mechanisms, as obtaining federal funds under the current administration will be challenging. For sidewalk gap closures, I’d prioritize city capital funds and public-private partnerships, focusing on high-traffic areas. A major obstacle will be private property owners’ reluctance to take on legal responsibility, as the city must sign agreements with each owner before making improvements. Bus shelter installations can be streamlined by working with transit agencies and leveraging private sponsorships or advertising revenue. To ensure affordable housing near transit, I support investing in site preparation, making permitting easier, and expanding financial incentives to accelerate construction. The key obstacles are funding constraints and bureaucratic delays, which I’d address through more efficient permitting processes and targeted investment strategies.
Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s #VoteTransit Questionnaire, as answered by Republican candidates for Mayor of Pittsburgh
1. Do you agree with the #VoteTransit 25/25/25 Goals? If not, what targets would you set as Mayor in this coming term around sidewalk network gap closure, new bus shelter deployment, and the development of more units of affordable housing by the busways, T and our frequent service corridors?
Thomas West
I agree with the intent behind these goals — making Pittsburgh safer, more connected, and more affordable for working families — but I also believe in setting realistic, fiscally responsible targets that reflect our city’s current budget constraints and economic challenges.
Sidewalk Network Gaps: Sidewalks are not just about safety — they’re a fundamental part of our city’s infrastructure and directly impact quality of life. I support the goal of closing 25% of network gaps, but more importantly, I believe we must prioritize neighborhoods with the highest need first — particularly those with schools, senior populations, and high pedestrian traffic. These communities can’t afford to be left behind.
Bus Shelters: With PRT facing financial instability and possible service cuts, our first priority must be preserving access to reliable, functional transit. Once that stability is addressed, I would support a goal of installing up to 25 new shelters annually, but only if we can ensure each one is placed where it’s actually needed — not just to hit a number.
Affordable Housing Near Transit: I do not support mandates that dictate where or what type of housing must be built. I believe in incentivizing development and creating conditions where affordable housing can thrive organically — not through one-size-fits-all policies. We need to focus on neighborhood revitalization that drives private investment, job creation, and ultimately, homeownership — not just rental units stacked by transit stops.
Tony Moreno
[no response]
2. For the targets that you are proposing, what are your specific plans to fund and implement the sidewalk network gap closure, install the new bus shelters per year, and ensure housing by transit is affordable? What are the obstacles that you see in meeting your goals, and how would you overcome them?
Thomas West
Sidewalks: The City of Pittsburgh has mismanaged millions in taxpayer dollars over the years — it’s time to get back to the basics. As Mayor, I will audit current infrastructure spending and identify waste to reallocate funds to critical priorities like sidewalks. I will also pursue public-private partnerships and state/federal infrastructure grants — but every dollar must be accountable. No more throwing money at problems without a plan or a result.
Bus Shelters & Transit Support: With PRT facing a fiscal cliff, I will be a vocal advocate in Harrisburg and Washington. Philadelphia has a seat at the table — Pittsburgh needs one too. But while we fight for funding, we must also ensure that current transit dollars are used efficiently. Every shelter should be placed based on data — ridership, need, and accessibility — not political pressure. We must stop chasing headlines and start chasing results.
Affordable Housing: We don’t need more top-down mandates. What we need is economic opportunity in every corner of the city. That starts with cutting red tape for small businesses, investing in workforce development, and supporting local entrepreneurs. When you bring jobs into underserved neighborhoods, you create demand for housing — and that’s when developers step in. My goal is to create environments where affordable housing is a market-driven result of growth, not a politically dictated outcome.
Tony Moreno
[no response]
May 20 is election day! Make sure you’re registered to vote and take the pledge to elect a Transit Champion on our #Vote Transit Page!
Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) Calls on Pittsburgh Mayoral and City Council Candidates to Adopt PPT’s 25/25/25 Goals and Develop a Plan for Implementation
Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s Transit 25/25/25 Goals call on Mayoral and City Council candidates to:
Close 25% of the City’s Sidewalk Network Gaps
Install 25 New Bus Shelters Per Year
Ensure 25% of the New Housing Units Built Near Our Best Transit Assets are Deeply Affordable
The Transit 25/25/25 Goals around sidewalks, bus shelters, and affordable, higher-density housing by our best transit assets are continuations of the equitable infrastructure campaign work that members of Pittsburghers for Public Transit have been leading for the last several years.
Pittsburgh’s lack of connected, accessible and maintained sidewalks often creates access and safety barriers to transit for disabled riders and families. Improving the conditions of our sidewalks was named as one of the top priorities for residents during the transition planning process for Mayor Gainey’s administration in 2021.
Pittsburgh is also nationally notable for how few bus shelters are installed at bus stops, which forces riders to be exposed to the elements and make them less visible and less safe while waiting for the bus. The responsibility for bus shelters falls exclusively on the City of Pittsburgh within its jurisdiction, not on Pittsburgh Regional Transit, and there is a backlog of over 230 stops within the City that have ridership high enough to justify a shelter that are currently unprotected.
Finally, the Pittsburgh affordable housing crisis has displaced thousands of residents far from the City into County municipalities with low access to jobs, critical amenities, and transit. This affordable housing crisis has particularly affected Black and brown families and transit riders; it is imperative that our City has a holistic policy and funding solution to ensure that more low-income riders can live by the transportation assets that they rely on.
Pittsburghers for Public Transit has long elevated the role of Pittsburgh’s Mayor and City Council leaders in improving – or impeding – access to quality transit.
In 2021 PPT published the Pittsburgh 100 Day Transit Platform in collaboration with dozens of residents and organizations that have strong insights into what is needed to ensure Pittsburgh’s transportation network is effective, safe, and accessible to all. This platform laid out four broad mobility goals for the City, and several specific policy demands to achieve a more effective, equitable mobility network that works for all residents.
In 2022, we followed up with our Representing our Routes report, which laid out the quality and reliability of transit service, the demographics of ridership, and the number of bus shelters in each City Council district. In this report, we also detailed the direct and advocacy roles that Pittsburgh City Council members can and must play in improving transit service and infrastructure.
Finally, in 2024 we organized and won the first City budget line item for transit amenities, ensuring that there were resources to begin to close the gaps on the 230+ bus stops that have ridership that is high enough to warrant a shelter, but in which no shelter has been installed.It is long overdue for the City to put attention and resources towards this need, and there must be a process to continue and grow this work.
What power do the City of Pittsburgh’s elected leaders have to improve public transit access?
The Mayor & City Council can improve transit access through their power to shape;
Policies around Land Use, Zoning, and Affordable Housing Development
Infrastructure Projects like sidewalks, bus shelters, and bus lanes
City Department staffing and employee policy
City Budgets
World-class cities like Pittsburgh should strive for excellence, provide better opportunities for citizens, and afford residents the freedom to improve their lives. Affordable, accessible, quality public transit is central to achieving these goals.
Although many believe that transit is exclusively within the purview of the Pittsburgh Regional Transit, and is governed solely by our county and state legislators, the power of local governments to bring big improvements for transit riders should not be underestimated. Elevating public transit requires that Pittsburgh elected officials invest in sidewalks, bus shelters, and safe street infrastructure like crosswalks and curb cuts, and that we plan for development that supports more affordable housing and critical amenities by quality transit.
Mass transit provides freedom of movement to those with the least amount of access. Recent Census numbers tell us that 23% of Pittsburgh households do not have access to a private vehicle. They also show that 50,000 Pittsburghers – more than 17% of our City’s population – use public transit to commute to work every day. Add students, the unemployed, and other noncommuters, and the actual number of transit riders is much higher.
The City of Pittsburgh Council and the Mayor’s office are responsible for many of the critical land use policies, infrastructure investments, and staffing decisions that can make public transit safe and effective. This is done in part through the City’s zoning and planning laws, which set the rules for how our City is developed. For instance, zoning rules define whether low-income residents can find affordable housing by great transit assets like the East Busway and the T, and high-frequency routes like the 16, 51, 61s, 86, 87, 71s, 91, and more.
The City is also responsible for the built environment and sidewalk infrastructure that allows all transit riders, regardless of self-mobility concerns, to safely and comfortably get to and from bus stops. From bus shelters to street lighting, ADA-compliant sidewalks, curb cuts, and crosswalks, the ability to access transit is almost entirely dependent on decisions made by our City. Decisions to paint bus-only lanes and to install traffic signals that turn green for buses ensure that transit is reliable and timely, and ensure that we are prioritizing 40-passenger vehicles over single cars on our roads.
The Mayor and City Council also propose and approve operating budgets and appoints Department heads to manage City staff time that can ensure the prioritization and implementation of these types of transit infrastructure improvements.
You can join Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) call on Pittsburgh Mayoral and City Council Candidates to adopt PPT’s 25/25/25 Goals by pledging to #VoteTransit on May 20, 2025:
image description: Flyer for #VoteTransit Mayoral Candidate Forum, 4/9, 7-8:30p, 4836 Ellsworth Ave as photos of each of the 4 candidates & the PPT logo
Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s #VoteTransit Mayoral Candidate Forum and “Transit 25/25/25 Goal” for all candidates running to be our municipal leaders.
There is a lot that the city can do to improve access to public transit – from sidewalks, to bus stops, to housing policy – and this year, 4 candidates are running to be our next Mayor. Join transit advocates from across the city to learn these candidates’ plans for transit if they are elected to office. Pittsburghers for Public Transit has issued the Transit 25/25/25 Goal for candidates in this year’s city race. Now it’s time to learn whether candidates adopt it and seriously consider their role in improving our transit access.
Join PPT’s #VoteTransit Pittsburgh Mayoral Candidate Forum April 9, 7-8:30pm 4836 Ellsworth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) Calls on Pittsburgh Mayoral and City Council Candidates to Adopt PPT’s 25/25/25 Goals and Develop a Plan for Implementation
Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s Transit 25/25/25 Goals:
Mayoral and City Council candidates must pledge to:
Close 25% of the City’s Sidewalk Network Gaps
Install 25 New Bus Shelters Per Year
Ensure 25% of the New Housing Units Built Near Our Best Transit Assets are Deeply Affordable
The Transit 25/25/25 Goals around sidewalks, bus shelters, and affordable, higher-density housing by our best transit assets are continuations of the equitable infrastructure campaign work that members of Pittsburghers for Public Transit have been leading for the last several years.
Pittsburgh’s lack of connected, accessible and maintained sidewalks often creates access and safety barriers to transit for disabled riders and families. Improving the conditions of our sidewalks was named as one of the top priorities for residents during the transition planning process for Mayor Gainey’s administration in 2021.
Pittsburgh is also nationally notable for how few bus shelters are installed at bus stops, which forces riders to be exposed to the elements and make them less visible and less safe while waiting for the bus. The responsibility for bus shelters falls exclusively on the City of Pittsburgh within its jurisdiction, not on Pittsburgh Regional Transit, and there is a backlog of over 230 stops within the City that have ridership high enough to justify a shelter that are currently unprotected.
Finally, the Pittsburgh affordable housing crisis has displaced thousands of residents far from the City into County municipalities with low access to jobs, critical amenities, and transit. This affordable housing crisis has particularly affected Black and brown families and transit riders; it is imperative that our City has a holistic policy and funding solution to ensure that more low-income riders can live by the transportation assets that they rely on.
La ciudad puede hacer mucho para mejorar el acceso al transporte público, desde aceras y paradas de autobús hasta políticas de vivienda. Este año, cuatro candidatos se postulan para ser nuestro próximo alcalde. Únase a los defensores del transporte público de toda la ciudad para conocer los planes de estos candidatos si son elegidos.
Todos están invitados a unirse a PPT para este Foro de la Alcaldía, que organizamos durante nuestra Asamblea General Mensual. Aprovechamos nuestras reuniones mensuales para informar sobre las campañas actuales, debatir estrategias y tácticas, capacitar en nuevas habilidades y construir comunidad. La reunión de este mes será híbrida. Únase a nosotros en persona en 4836 Ellsworth Ave o en línea a través de Zoom.
6pm-7pm Hora para socializar // 7pm-8:3pm Foro de candidates.
[Image Description: Black text reads “Breaking: PRT proposes devastating transit service cuts. Our coalition has a better idea.” on a white background with a red star. Below, many hands hold up colorful signs that read “Transit for All PA!”, “Transit Moves Us”, and “Dignity for Intercity Bus Riders”.]
Devestating cuts to transit service have been proposed in Allegheny County. The time is now to learn more and take action!
Our entire region needs a good transit system in order to function–whether you’re taking ACCESS to your doctor’s office from McKeesport, or taking the T to work from the South Hills. The state government has proposed a budget $100 million short of what Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) needs to maintain current service levels–which are already 20% less than what they were five years ago.
On March 20th, PRT announced the cuts they would have to make in order to operate under the proposed budget, and we’re not gonna lie–they’re bleak. If enacted, the cuts would gut paratransit, shrink or eliminate 95 lines, and bring fare hikes across the board. These cuts would hit hardest for our disabled community, elders, and folks with no other transportation options.
But transit riders and workers are ready with a response that meets the scale of the crisis.
Our statewide coalition, Transit For All PA!, is organizing thousands of riders across the state to push for a new, dedicated funding source for public transit in the state budget. From Pittsburgh to Pottstown, Erie to Philly, we all need abundant, protected public transportation. And we can win it, together!
Then, keep reading under the cut for our guide to the biggest impacts these proposed cuts would have on our region. Remember, better transit–not worse–is possible, necessary, and transformative. We’re ready to bring this challenge to our state elected leaders: are you ready to meet this moment with us?
Now that you’ve taken action, let’s get into the nitty gritty. What exactly did PRT propose at their board meeting on March 20th? You can watch a recording of the meeting here, or you can keep reading for our guide to the biggest impacts:
General & Infrastructural Impacts
Let’s start at a high level. PRT has already lost 36% of its service and 50% of its riders in the last two decades, and these proposed cuts would remove even more from our already service-starved region.
In PRT’s own estimation, the proposed cuts would have a devastating effect on our region as a whole, with disabled riders and night shift workers particularly impacted:
All service after 11 PM will be eliminated, leaving night shift workers with no way to get home
Half of PRT’s bus garages, Collier and Ross garages, would have to close–a major blow to operator jobs across the system
180,000 residents and 50,000 jobs would lose access to public transit
St. Clair Hospital, CCAC West campus, and many K-12 schools would lose service completely
Downtown Pittsburgh would lose 30% of service, and the Pittsburgh airport will lose 63%
These cuts would hit hardest for those who have no other way to get around
The Bus Line Redesign project that we have been working so hard on would be eliminated
Three bridges, ten park and ride lots, and the Wabash tunnel would close entirely
On top of all this, such drastic service cuts would also create a traffic crush on our streets, and more crowding on buses and trains–as well as worsening impacts to climate change and air pollution by forcing more people into personal vehicles.
Service Cuts & Fare Hikes
PRT also proposed major cuts and fare increases to both fixed-route and paratransit services across the region.
Paratransit Impacts
[Image Description: a map of Allegheny County showing communities that would lose paratransit service guarantees under the proposed cuts. There is a blue shape overlaid on the center of the county that shows areas that would retain service, which extends out to small pieces of several communities in all directions.]
The above map shows the devastating changes to Allegheny County’s paratransit service under the proposed cuts. The blue zone shows areas that are within the minimum-standard ADA service zone; in these areas, service frequency and reliability would remain the same, but it would be 62% smaller than it currently is today.
In the pink zones of the map, paratransit riders would lose service protection–in other words, there would be no guarantee that paratransit could pick them up at the time or day that they need to make a trip. They could be told that their ride wouldn’t be available until three hours later than needed, or they could be told that they couldn’t get a ride at all. This is an unacceptably bad proposal for our disabled community. Riders could be left stranded on their way to doctor’s offices, jobs, grocery stores, and more–or forced to pay up for a car or an accessible taxi/rideshare. Paratransit is a lifeline, and to shrink it by the proposed 62% would be a massive blow.
On top of these massive service cuts, paratransit fares would increase between 14% and 24%, depending on the length of the ride–bringing the cost of a ride between $3.90 and $6.00 for most riders.
Impacts on Fixed Route Transit (Bus, T, and Incline)
When it comes to fixed-route bus, T, and incline service, fixed-route fares would increase 9%, bringing a regular fare from $2.75 to $3.00.
PRT proposed a 35% decrease in service across the board. The map below shows affected areas, with pink areas losing transit altogether.
[Image Description: a map of Allegheny County showing communities that would lose all service under the proposed cuts in pink.]
Below is a chart with proposed changes to weekly service:
Routes eliminated entirely (41)
2
4
7
14
18
20
26
29
36
38
39
40
41
43
58
65
71
19L
51L
52L
53L (service will increase on the 53 to replace cuts)
G3
G31
O1
O5
O12
P7
P10
P12
P13
P16
P17
P67
P69
P71
P76
Y1
Y45
Y47
Y49
Silver line (service will increase on Blue line to replace cuts)
Routes with major service reductions (34)
1
6
8
11
12
13
15
16
17
21
22
24
27
31
44
54
56
64
69
74
75
77
79
81
82
87
88
91
28X
G2
P68
P78
Y46
Red line
Routes with minor service reductions (20)
48
51
55
57
59
83
86
89
93
61A
61B
61C
61D
71A
71B
71C
71D
P1
P3
Mon Incline
Fixed-route service would be cut entirely from 19 municipalities and 3 Pittsburgh neighborhoods:
Municipalities with no service
Ambridge
Ben Avon
Brackenridge
East McKeesport
Edgeworth
Emsworth
Glen Osborne
Glenfield
Hampton
Harrison
Haysville
Leetsdale
North Fayette
Pitcairn
Reserve
Shaler
South Park
Trafford
Upper St. Clair
Neighborhoods with no service
Banksville
Ridgemont
Swisshelm Park
This is overwhelming! What should I do?
These cuts don’t have to happen–we can still act now to save our system! If you haven’t already, use our tool to contact your elected officials. Then, sign up for our statewide organizing call where we’ll start to put the pressure on the state government to champion transit funding for big cities and small towns alike.
Stay tuned to our newsletter, blog, and social media for more updates as they develop!
Image description: big red keystone shape with the text “Take Action! Stop Transit Cuts Now! in bold”
BREAKING: In reaction to the budget shortfall proposed by Governor Shapiro earlier this Spring, PRT has detailed sweeping service cuts and fare increases that could devastate Pittsburgh’s public transit system starting as early as 2026. Send your letter now to stop these cuts
Under these proposals, the entire system would see a 35% decrease in service and a 9% increase in fares. Paratransit service would be cut a staggering 62%, and fares increased 20%.
We know that transit is a public necessity, connecting people across our region–no matter their neighborhood, income level, or ability–to jobs, healthcare, food, and community. The state government’s budget proposal will revoke access to these lifelines for thousands.
Alongside our partner coalition Transit For All PA!, we’re calling on our elected officials to find a stable, alternative funding source for public transit–one that restores transit funding and service to pre-2019 levels across the state, from Pittsburgh to Erie to Philly and everywhere in between.
Will you take action with us by sending a letter to your state representatives?
By phone: Call PRT’s public comment inbox at 412-566-5525. Be sure to leave your name, zip code, and a message.
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
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:
We’ve put together a toolkit so that you can organize your community around these proposed cuts! There’s never been a more critical time to grow our movement for equitable transit service that moves all of us. We’ve got flyers to post in your neighborhood, slides for presenting to your community group, tools for hosting meetings with your state legislators, and more!
In the last 5 years, PRT has already quietly cut 20% of its service, and with it, communities as diverse as McKeesport, Greentree, and Monroeville are already struggling to reach jobs, healthcare, food, and community. If we further reduce service and increase fares to the proposed extent, the system will become effectively unusable for riders in our area. Riders are already seeing wait times of up to an hour for their daily commutes, and many riders are simply not able to afford that level of uncertainty. PRT generates over $700 million each year, supporting over 5,000 jobs. We cannot afford to cut that generator down by 35 or 60 percent.
Transit riders are ready with a response that meets the scale of the crisis. The crisis is statewide: the state budget doesn’t just affect Pittsburghers, but also people riding SEPTA to work in Philadelphia, elders moving around their communities safely in Erie, and disabled community members using paratransit in Harrisburg. It’s all the same state budget, so the solution needs to be statewide.
Our statewide, rider-led coalition, Transit for All PA!, is organizing for new, dedicated funding sources at the state level to fund the service riders need in order to use the system. We’re calling on state legislators to find a new, stable source of funding for public transit, which would restore transit service across the state to 2019 levels–and even improve transit access in communities outside Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
A new funding structure is possible, and we’re ready to bring this challenge to legislators. Are you ready to meet this moment with us? Join us at our next meeting to organize with riders across the state!
image description: text reads “National Transit Advocacy Spring Training, April 25-25, 2025 Pittsburgh, PA” with emojies of a raised fit, PPT’s icon, and a red heart. Photos of PPT members at rallies, parties, and canvass days.
Get your tickets today! Join riders and workers from across the US at the National Transit Advocacy Spring Training, April 25th and 26th in Pittsburgh, PA!
Get ready for the 2025 National Transit Advocacy Spring Training! Riders, workers and transit supporters from across the country will meet in Pittsburgh, PA April 25th and 26th 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 April, you are invited to join Pittsburghers for Public Transit and advocates from across the City, County State, and Nation at our second annual National Transit Advocacy Spring Training. 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, April 25th, and then have a morning plenary, workshops and a mobile tour throughout the day Saturday April 26th. 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 4/18/25.
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.
National Transit Advocacy Training Workshops and Presenters
Transit Tour and Spring Training Kick-off Happy Hour Kick-off Happy Hour at Aslin Beer, 1801 Smallman St Pre-Kickoff Transit Tour, 3:30 start @ 4836 Ellsworth Transit Tour led by:
Pittsburghers for Public Transit is excited to welcome public transit advocates, transit riders and workers, movement leaders, and champions for the freedom of movement to our Spring Training this year! Let’s get moving.
Come on a transit tour tailored just for you! PPT members guide us on a transit tour beginning at the Pittsburghers for Public Transit office and ending near our final destination in time for a happy hour mixer at Aslin Beer Company, from 5:00-7:00pm with our members and friends. Our guides lead us through local landmarks, service itself, our geography’s impact on modes of transit, and PPT’s vision of all the potential our system could hold.
We invite our local and visiting guests to mingle before the big day of workshops. Join us for chit-chat, cocktails, hor d’evours, and table activities at Aslin Beer Company in The Strip District. The first round is on us! #TGIF
Saturday, 4/26 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM // Workshop Block 1, advocates choose from:
Developing Strong Transit Worker-Rider Alliances Across Campaigns Workshop led by
In this workshop, led by Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s 2025 Transit Worker Fellows, you will learn concrete strategies for collaborating with transit workers. Explore why this community matters, their viewpoints, common threads of solidarity, navigating concerns when collaborating and how to bring compassion to a campaign composed of diverse perspectives.
The Transit Worker Fellows will open the workshop with a panel, sharing their work and organizing experiences, illustrating the value workers bring to conversations that we cannot get from just engaging riders.
Following the panel you will break into small groups to discuss different scenarios and conflicts that may arise between riders and workers, transit agencies and riders, transit agencies and workers. Then construct and practice organizing conversations. The groups will come together and end with reflections.
Sharing Your Transit Story: Effectively Using Your Story to Mobilize Workshop led by
When advocating for change, it’s easy to get caught up in data, reports, and studies to try to prove the worthiness of your cause—but that only gets you so far. Time and time again, we have seen powerful stories help shift narratives around issues, including transit. Whether it’s testifying at city council, speaking to reporters, or educating people around the issues, storytelling can be our most powerful tool in creating change.
In this workshop we will learn how stories can have an impact and discuss effective ways to tell our stories to shift narratives and win change.
When building an issues-based campaign, it is important to consider what the stakes are for the community around you. Whether it is where you volunteer, your classmates, your church congregation, neighbors, or co-workers, helping people to realize the power of their personal networks is life-changing to the personal power of organizing in your community. The power we all have, organizing it, and understanding the power of our opposition is what we will be focused on in this workshop. As we look to build powerful people, relationships, and movements to address our material needs.
Join us for a workshop where we will help you realize YOUR power and send you on your way to organize for your community’s gain.
MI, MD and PA Case Studies: Statewide Funding Fights for the Transit Service we Deserve Workshop led by
Transit riders in communities across the Country are facing massive service cuts and fare increases – or are already suffering from inadequate service- and are now organizing for a variety of statewide funding and policy solutions. Hear from organizers from Detroit, Baltimore and Philly around the good, the bad and the ugly around statewide funding fights for transit, and how we can draw lessons from funding fights across state lines and across issue areas to win the service we deserve.
Let’s go for a walk! (Mobile Workshop) Workshop led by
Get some fresh air after lunch on a walk to explore Oakland from the perspective of people who walk and bus there! We’ll venture outside for a comfortable 1.3-mile journey with a focus on what works and what could be improved for accessibility, safety, and comfort. The route is mostly flat with one moderately steep downhill section, all on paved surfaces with wheelchair-accessible sidewalks.
Along the way, we’ll examine sidewalk design, transit stations, a pedestrian plaza, and one of the best “complete streets” in the City. You’ll learn to assess walking infrastructure through the eyes of mobility and accessibility experts, with insights from special guest Cecelia Black from Disability Rights Washington.
This interactive 90-minute workshop includes a brief orientation, guided walk with discussion stops, and a group debrief. Pre-registration required, limited to 20 participants. Come prepared to move at a relaxed pace and engage in meaningful dialogue about creating more walkable, accessible communities!
As community organizers, we have all found ourselves in community meetings which have gone sideways- with attendees who pull everyone off-topic, folks that don’t seem engaged, participants who offer racist, homophobic or ableist takes, and even some where participants challenge the goals of the meeting itself. This workshop will share best practices for how facilitators can set up effective meetings, and how to navigate conflicts as they arise. Participants in this workshop will have the opportunity to offer their reflections and practice managing a disruptive room towards a positive outcome.
Campaigns 101: The Nuts and Bolts of Building a Winning Strategy Workshop led by
It can be easy to identify the issue that we want to organize a campaign around, but where do we go from there? In this workshop, you’ll hear from leaders in the transit justice, immigrant justice, jail justice and climate justice movements to see how they identified allies and targets, tactics, messaging and research needs in their respective campaigns, and built a solid plan to win. Participants in this workshop will have the opportunity to collectively strategize on their own campaigns with these tools, or grapple with common scenarios together to develop an effective organizing campaign.
Abhishek Viswanathan is an immigrant from Mumbai, teaching Data Science at Chatham University, researching environmental conditions in Pittsburgh, and organizing with friends and comrades at Against Carceral Tech (ACT) and other places.
Alisa Grishman is a disability activist and founder of Access Mob Pittsburgh, an advocacy group that utilizes positive approaches to making change, such as education and economic incentives. A self-described shameless agitator, Grishman has also been arrested multiple times fighting for disability rights with ADAPT, a national advocacy group. Her work has been recognized locally and nationally in such outlets as the Rachel Maddow Show, NPR, Huffington Post, Esquire Magazine, WTAE, KDKA News, and the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
Along with her direct advocacy work, Grishman co-runs Ballots for Patients and Care to Vote, sister efforts that respectively collect emergency absentee ballots from hospitalized peoples on election day and work with nursing and personal care homes to help residents register to vote and fill out ballots. She also sits on the board of directors of the Keystone Progress Education Fund.
In her free time, Grishman enjoys knitting and collecting antique books. She lives in the Uptown neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA.
As a Transportation Community Organizer at No Boundaries Coalition, I led grassroots efforts to elevate transportation equity in Central West Baltimore. I created and led the initiative “Put Your SEAT Where Your Mouth Is,” bringing elected officials and residents together to ride public transit and engage in a town hall that translated lived experience into policy-driven dialogue. I built strategic relationships with local and state officials, including direct engagement with the Secretary of Transportation. I met with the Administrator of MTA to advocate for improved operations and maintenance of our transit system. I also developed a monthly transportation flyer to keep residents informed and involved.
My advocacy extended to speaking at Delegate Robbyn Lewis’ City 4 All forum, organizing transportation for community members to the Transit Riders Rally in Annapolis as well as speaking at that rally, and testifying at MTA House and Senate hearings in support of Governor Moore’s transportation budget. My work reflects a deep commitment to community empowerment, equitable transit solutions, and building bridges between residents and decision-makers.
Connor Chapman is a labor/community organizer and researcher based in Pittsburgh, PA. A member of PPT’s organizing committee, he serves as an organizer with Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s Transit Worker Fellowship, which aims to bring transit workers and transit riders together. Committed to building strong labor-community coalitions, Connor believes that robust connections between Pittsburgh’s transit workforce and ridership will be key to maintaining and expanding public transit service. He also organizes with the Pitt Graduate Workers Organizing Committee, where he helped secure union representation for 2,300 graduate workers at the University of Pittsburgh.
Connor Descheemaker has over a decade of experience building and facilitating diverse coalitions to achieve policy change, support local communities, and provide professional education and development. Born in Phoenix, they came of age just as that famously-sprawling metro opened its first light rail line in 2008, and their exploration of a changing downtown ignited their interest in mobility and community in urban areas. There, they ran multiple all-ages art and performance spaces, and founded a business coalition to support walkable, sustainable, and affordable urban development. After four intermediary years in Seattle supporting architects in their professional development, and housing and transportation advocacy, they arrived in Philadelphia in 2022 to manage the Transit Forward Philadelphia coalition. There, they grew the group to 35 community-based organizations covering environmental justice, immigrant and refugee support, community development, political advocacy, and elder and disability rights.
Daeja Baker is a long-time organizer and poet from the North Side of Pittsburgh. She founded Pittsburgh Feminists for Intersectionality (PFI) in 2017, an organization that does community education, mutual aid, and resource gathering across Allegheny County. Daeja often organizes at the intersections of disability rights, mental health, racial justice, queer rights, and abolition. Daeja has worked on numerous state and county level political campaigns and currently works as a political consultant. She believes that our collective liberation rests in the power that individuals bring in coalition with one another. Daeja organizes with the belief that rest is radical; rest is liberation; and that nothing happens in a movement without collective care. Be well.
Hello, my name is Evelyn Ulysse. I’m part of the Latino community in Pittsburgh. I ride public transit, and I care about it because it’s a system that helps the most vulnerable people get around the city to perform basic life activities, such as going to work, school, medical appointments, grocery shopping, and recreational activities. I’m passionate about photography and participating in projects that improve the quality of life.
Hola mi nombre es Evelyn Ulysse soy parte de la Comunidad Latina en Pittsburgh PA, Soy usuaria del transporte público y me importa porque es un sistema que ayuda a la clase más vulnerable a desplazarse por la ciudad para realizar sus actividades básicas para la vida como ir al Trabajo la Escuela Citas médicas, comprar alimentos y actividades recreativas. Me apasiona la fotografía y participar en proyectos que aporten mejoras a la calidad de vida.
Erik lives in Lawrenceville with his wife Laura and dog Ubba. He is a California native who spent seven years calling minor league baseball games on the radio before beginning his current work in and around political campaigns. Erik’s first campaign was Bernie Sanders 2020 run where he worked as a Field Organizer and Advance Team Member before moving to Pittsburgh in June of 2020. Since then, he has worked on numerous electoral and public pressure campaigns at all levels with a commitment to building power for poor and working people. A believer in organizational homes, Erik organizes with the Pittsburgh Chapter of Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
Faith Walker is the Executive Director of RVA Rapid Transit, Virginia’s only public transportation advocacy organization. She first joined the team as Director of Community Engagement and now leads efforts to create a more connected, equitable Richmond region through expanded and accessible transit.Under Faith’s leadership, RVA Rapid Transit has championed the region’s Zero Fare program for the past five years, ensuring transit remains a vital tool for racial equity, economic mobility, and public health. She has helped grow impactful initiatives like the Adopt-A-Stop program, which empowers community members to reimagine and care for bus stops; Riders Voice, which amplifies the lived experiences of daily transit users in policy conversations; and Mobility University, a five-week training series that equips residents to advocate for better public transportation in their neighborhoods.With a strong foundation in artistic marketing, creative outreach, and grassroots organizing, Faith bridges community, culture, and policy to advance healthy, people-centered transit solutions across the region.
Gabriel McMorland (She/her) has been active with PPT since 2015 and is currently on the PPT board. She previously worked at the Thomas Merton Center, an activist organization where she led power-mapping workshops and organized campaigns on a variety of issues. She’s a blind/Disabled transwoman who dreams of sidewalks and transit so accessible that we can all move on to more poetic pursuits.
Gregory Williams serves as the Advocacy Campaign Organizer at Bike Durham, where he champions equitable and sustainable transportation initiatives. He’s been with Bike Durham for a little over a year now and brings with him over a decade of experience in political fundraising, organizing, operations, and civic engagement. In addition to his dedication to advancing social justice and democracy through improved transit solutions he is an avid musician, father, and sustainable technology enthusiast.
Joel Batterman (he/him) grew up in Michigan, went to college in Oregon, and returned to the Great Lakes State hoping to bring more public transit to America’s automotive heartland. He helped found Transit Riders of the US Together, a national network of transit rider organizations, and currently works as Campaigns Manager for Detroit’s Transportation Riders United. Joel has experience organizing with MOSES, the Motor City Freedom Riders, and the Graduate Employees Organization, among other groups. He lives in Detroit with his wife, cat, and son.
Laura has been carless for 4 years, and a Pittsburgh for Public Transit member for 5. As a community organizer with Pittsburgh’s Latino immigrants, she worked with PPT on various campaigns to make our public transit system more accessible to immigrants.
Hi my name is Monika Wheeler Hanna, and I’m a Retired Instructor/ Supervisor from Pittsburgh Region Transit with 25 years of service, 15 years as an Operator and 10 years as an Instructor. I’ve been an Activist with Pittsburghers for Public Transit since 2011 and I’m a Transit Worker Fellow who acts as a Consultant on Work Place issues and PPT Campaigns. I like to travel with my GrandGirls to their Cheer Competition.
Morgan is the Activism Team Lead at Patagonia Pittsburgh, where she partners with local organizations to host meaningful events—like book talks, film screenings, and community conversations—and helps amplify their messages through social media and in-store storytelling.
Her passion for local advocacy runs deep. As a former intern and active member of Pittsburghers for Public Transit, she’s spent time canvassing, speaking at PRT board meetings, and conducting bus stop audits to support more equitable transit.
When she’s not organizing or connecting with community partners, you’ll likely find Morgan enjoying time at the park with her dog, Frankie, or winding down with a cozy Animal Crossing session on her Switch.
Patrick McGinty teaches writing at Slippery Rock University, where he chairs the Committee for Action through Politics for the faculty union (APSCUF). His first novel, Test Drive, was about how driverless cars don’t really solve transit issues in Pittsburgh. Like, at all.
I’m Paul Vereb, a Pittsburghers for Public Transit Fellow and a recently retired Light Rail Transit Systems Supervisor for Pittsburgh Regional Transit. My position included supervising three different disciplines under the umbrella of one department called Power and Signal. I spent 30 years in the light rail field working with crews who maintained the power distribution, overhead catenary infrastructure, and signaling assets for the Allegheny County Trolley system, the T, where I learned the importance of teamwork, experience, and collective ideas in the process of job performance. Working with PPT has given me insight to the needs of our riders and fellow employees and the obstacles that we face in light of inconsistent funding and service delivery. I believe these are things that can be righted using our collective voices, experience, and teamwork.
Seth Bush is the Advocacy Manager at Bike Pittsburgh where he coaches, trains, and resources leaders of neighborhood biking & walking advocacy groups or “bike/ped committees” across Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. Seth is a graduate of the America Walks Walking College Fellowship and a Professional Certified Coach for social change leaders with over 15 years of experience in grassroots organizing. When he’s not helping neighbors transform their streets, you can find Seth walking his dog around his neighborhood in Swissvale, gardening, or binge-watching Star Trek. Contact him at seth@bikepgh.org.
Tom Conroy is a retired bus driver for Pittsburgh Regional Transit and former Union board man for Amalgamated Transit Union local 85 at the Collier garage in Pittsburgh. He is a long time member and supporter of Pittsburghers for Public Transit and Union activist.
Shay (they/he) is a soccer coach, union barista and member of Starbucks Workers United, and a transit advocate based out of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. They are a co-founder of Clevelanders for Public Transit, and formerly served as staff for the Amalgamated Transit Union to prevent service cuts and layoffs in Cleveland.
Stevie Pasamonte is an organizer focused on building grassroots power at the intersection of mobility, climate, and racial justice. As the chair of Transit Columbus, they helped win a major funding increase for central Ohio public transit, sidewalks, and bikeways, and built coalitions to champion the city’s first complete streets policy. Stevie draws from their experience as a grassroots advocate and lifelong public transit rider in their work with the National Campaign for Transit Justice.
This Transit Worker Appreciation Day, we’re showing the love and showing up for transit funding!
Whether you ride the T in the South Hills, drive the bus out of the West Mifflin Garage, cruise down the Martin Luther King Jr. Busway, or work on power and signal out of South Hills Junction, workers and riders of public transit across Allegheny County and all of Pennsylvania are facing a funding crisis that stands to cut our service down to unprecedented levels.
On Tuesday, March 18th, PPT is meeting the challenge with a day of organizing–and, most importantly, celebrating the transit workers who keep our communities moving! By celebrating Transit Worker Appreciation Day with us, you’ll have the chance to give your favorite bus, T, or busway drivers some love, while also standing up to protect their jobs and transit service across the state.
Want to share the love? Here’s how:
1. Sign our petition to tell the state government: protect and expand our transit funding!
2. Sign up to canvass with us! Educate riders and show transit workers some love!
We will be out in full force talking to riders about who PPT is, the current PA state funding crisis threatening to impact public transportation, and asking them to share goodie bags of tasty treats and PPT swag with their operator when they board the bus.
Participants can choose from two different canvassing shifts: 7am-9am or 4pm-6pm (or join us for both!). We will meet to review the plan, and during the shift we will work in teams at a handful of busy bus stops. We’ll end with a debrief at the same location we began at.
Bring warm layers, good shoes and a big smile. There will be plenty of waving and exclamations of “Happy Transit Worker Appreciation Day!” when the bus door slides open!
The fight for statewide transit funding goes way beyond Transit Worker Appreciation Day–we’re organizing for it all day, every day! Check out our statewide campaign and sign on to our platform by visiting the Transit for All PA! website.
image description: graphic has text that reads “Mon Valley Transit Organizing Fellowship” wth a photo of a PPT Member. Background has a gameboy-like illustration of people waiting at a bus stop.
Apply Today! PPT’s New Organizing Fellowship Will Train More Transit Advocates in the Mon Valley
No matter what place you call home, everyone in Allegheny County deserves safe, accessible, affordable, and reliable public transportation. However, a lack of investment in our public transit, environmental crises, increases in the costs of housing, and social inequity have led to many of our friends, families, and neighbors struggling to get to the places they want to go and disconnecting our communities rather than bringing them together.
But we can take action to reverse it. That is why Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) will launch a paid fellowship program for transit riders who live in communities located in the Mon Valley during Spring 2024. Participants will explore public transit access, infrastructure, financial barriers, and equitable development. Examples of these topics include; the opportunities and need for more bus shelters and safe, accessible sidewalks to transit, improved service through Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT’s) Bus Line redesign process, winning and enrolling Mon Valley residents into Allegheny Go, and the zoning/land use relationship connecting access to housing and quality transit.
Fellows will receive compensation for participating in the program for three hours per week for ten weeks until completion in June 2025, with a special invitation to Pittsburghers for Public Transit’s Spring Training event on April 26, 2025.
The fellowship will consist of weekly modules based on current PPT transit justice campaigns, within classroom learning and field work. The fellowship will begin in late March 2025 and end in early June 2025.
Timeline Overview of the Mon Valley Organizing Fellowship
June 3th – June 22nd – Meetings with elected officials
June 23rd – Graduation Party : )
Do you live in the Mon Valley and want to improve public transit for your community? Apply today by sending your resume and answers to the following questions to cheryl@pittsburghforpublictransit.org
To apply to the Mon Valley Transit Organizing fellowship, send answers to the following questions to cheryl@pittsburghforpublictransit.org. You can include a resume if you have one!
Phone number
Email
Address
Why is organizing for public transit important to you?
How do you understand the connection between public transit and racial, economic, disability, and environmental justice?
Can you tell us about any past experiences, jobs, volunteer work, or leadership opportunities that have prepared you for this opportunity?
What are you looking to accomplish through your participation with PPT’s Mon Valley Organizing Fellowship?
Whether you’re from State College or Scranton, Philly or Erie, every Pennsylvanian deserves transportation access to opportunity.On Feb 4th, National Transit Equity Day, Governor Shapiro didn’t deliver a public transit budget proposal that meets the needs of our Commonwealth. We need you to join thousands of transit riders and workers across the state for two statewide calls to build the vision and organizing plan for the service we deserve!
Last week, 80+ transit riders and transit workers across Pennsylvania joined Transit for All PA’s All Eyes on Governor Shapiro Budget Watch Party to see if he would heed our call to elevate transit as a top priority in his annual budget address. Over the previous three weeks, over 3,000 letters were sent to the Governor to that effect. Although Governor Shapiro made cursory mention of the “essential” nature of transit in his remarks, his actual 2026 budget proposal falls far short of our public transit needs in both urban and rural communities.
Instead, the budget that Governor Shapiro laid out on Rosa Parks’ Birthday keeps transit without a dedicated source of funding, pulling from sales tax revenue in the general fund. That leaves transit funding vulnerable to the whims of our divided and contentious state legislature, and draws from a source of funding that is competitive with other basic needs including education and healthcare. Moreover, Shapiro’s budget proposal requires that our transit agencies draw down their reserves to zero in the five years, and only manages to maintain our existing austerity levels of service. This is not the expanded and dedicated state transit funding solution- long overdue- that residents of the Commonwealth need and deserve.
In just the last five years, transit systems across Pennsylvania have been cut dramatically, leaving our state’s older adults, disabled residents, youth, and no car households without the bus lines they rely on to access jobs, healthcare, food and community. Funding austerity coupled with transit worker shortages have devastated rural intercity transit in Pennsylvania, severed municipal access to transit in mid-sized urban areas like Centre County, and resulted in overall transit service cuts of 20% with Pittsburgh Regional Transit. The Governor’s 2026 budget proposal does not provide the resources necessary to prevent the imminent funding cliffs of agencies like SEPTA and PRT without requiring that these agencies use up their limited reserves; it certainly does nothing to reverse the cuts we’ve seen in communities across the state.
We deserve better. That is why over 8,000 Pennsylvania transit riders and operators have taken action over the past year, and that is why we’re organized to fight now for the service we deserve.
On Thursday, February 27th, Transit for All PA will host the first of two statewide transit funding calls to develop our demands and our action plan for winning Visionary Transit across Pennsylvania. We need transit riders and operators across the commonwealth to help us define the priorities they see in their communities to ensure transit moves more of us.
Join Us for our Transit for All PA Planning Calls with Transit Riders and Workers all Across the Commonwealth! Register Here for our first call on February 27th from 5:30-7:00 pm.
The time is now: we know that we get one opportunity to focus the PA legislature and pass a funding package that meets ALL our transit needs. That’s why we’re going big, and organizing towards three visionary goals:
Funding that restores our transit service to 2019 levels for communities across the Commonwealth, and matched to the travel patterns of post-pandemic ridership.
Local enabling legislation to raise the local capital dollars needed to attract major federal investment, which Pennsylvania is currently losing out on to places like Ohio, Colorado, Arizona, and Washington.
A project prioritization rubric like Virginia has that ensures that PennDOT’s billions of dollars of transportation funding are moving the most people, benefiting our economies, reducing congestion and improving air quality.
Governor Shapiro is right to recognize that transit is essential. But we need him, and all our state elected officials, to invest in our transit systems at the levels we deserve. Along with hundreds of other riders and transit workers, we’ll see you on the 27th; we’re done with decline and we’re ready to organize for a budget that moves us!
**This post was published in an altered form on the Transit For All PA website.
