Whether we live in suburban towns or city neighborhoods, everyone in Allegheny County deserves safe, reliable, dignified access to the places we need to go.
Across the county, 30% of the population does not drive a car. The Week Without Driving was developed by disability advocates in Washington state and is now a national initiative, led by America Walks and the National Campaign for Transit Justice.
Locally, we’re proud to join this movement to raise awareness for greater mobility needs in every community. With Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s diminished service, crumbling sidewalks, disconnected bike lanes, and insufficient ACCESS services, the lack of investment in safe and accessible mobility options for non-drivers leaves too many residents stranded and struggling to access basic needs.
Join us in pledging to take a Week Without Driving, and call for true mobility options for all in Allegheny County. You can participate as an individual, organization or elected official.
Whether due to disability, age, or income – non-drivers come from all walks of life.
These 8 inspiring stories from Pittsburgh non-drivers show there is a spectrum of people who don’t drive a car and urge elected officials make improvements for transit, biking, and walking.
BIG CHANGES are being proposed to our transit system! We need to organize together to make a system that works for all.
Whether you live in McKeesport or McKees Rocks, the Hill District or the South Hills, our public transit system needs to work for everyone.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) just released the first draft of the “Bus Line Redesign”. The redesign proposes a completely redrawn map of where transit routes will run. It includes new schedules for how frequently and how late at night buses and trains run. It even proposes renaming all the routes in the system. There’s a LOT to consider, so we’re going to need your help to assess what we like about this proposal and what we should organize to change.
Broadly, we at Pittsburghers for Public Transit are approaching this process with caution. The PRT Bus Network Redesign should not further reduce ridership or cause harm to already marginalized communities. We are emphasizing that PRT should “Do No Harm” with the new design, at the least.
It is almost certain that the Bus Network Redesign will be a major disruption, and that in itself is a cause for concern, as the transit network has existed roughly in the same layout for decades; people have chosen where they live, work, and spend time with their friends and family based on this existing network.
Moreover, right now PRT is proposing a “cost-neutral” Bus Network Redesign plan, which means that it’s the same (or a little less service) than we have today, leaving some communities to gain better transit at the expense of others. Given that we have seen 20% of our total transit service cut in just the last four years of the pandemic, there is the danger that this network redesign will only lock in austerity-level service for the long-term.
Get involved with fellow riders and organize for Visionary Transit Service
PRT’s Bus Line Redesign is a lot to consider! You can get involved with our Research Committee to do a deep dive into the Bus Line Redesign’s first draft. We meet every Friday at 3 pm on Zoom. If you want to join us to look at the impacts of this service overhaul on your neighborhood and on the County more broadly, sign up to join our next Research Committee Meeting:
PRT is also holding several Bus Line Redesign feedback sessions online and across the County. You should join them and promote them to your network. Here’s the current list copy/pasted from their website:
Bus Line Redesign McKeesport Pop-Up // Oct 3, 2024 2:00 PM – Oct 3, 2024 5:00 PM // McKeesport Transportation Center, 541 Lysle Blvd, McKeesport, PA 15132, USA // Find our pop-up info tent at the McKeesport Transportation Center to review the Draft Network 1.0 and give your input!
Bus Line Redesign Dormont PopUp // Oct 5, 2024 1:00 PM – Oct 5, 2024 4:00 PM // Dormont Music Festival, Potomac Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15216, USA // Find our tent at the Dormont Music Festival to review the Draft Network 1.0 and give your input!
Bus Line Redesign Braddock Hills Pop-Up // Oct 7, 2024 11:00 AM – Oct 7, 2024 2:00 PM // Braddock Hills Shopping Center, 272 Yost Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15221, USA // Find our pop-up info tent at the Braddock Hills Shopping Center. We will be there to review the Draft Network 1.0 and gather your input!
Bus Line Redesign Sheraden Station Pop-Up // Oct 8, 2024 3:00 PM – Oct 8, 2024 6:00 PM // Sheraden Station, 2640 Chartiers Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15204, USA // Find our pop-up info tent at Sheraden Station on the West Busway. We will be there to review the Draft Network 1.0 and gather your input!
Bus Line Redesign Carrick Pop-Up // Oct 9, 2024 3:00 PM – Oct 9, 2024 7:00 PM // Carrick Farmer’s Market, 1529 Brownsville Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15210, USA // Find our pop-up info tent at the Carrick Farmer’s Market. We will be there to review the Draft Network 1.0 and gather your input!
Bus Line Redesign Market Pop-Up // Oct 10, 2024 10:00 AM – Oct 10, 2024 2:00 PM // Market Square Farmer’s Market, Market Square, Pittsburgh, PA, USA // Find our pop-up info tent at the Market Square Farmer’s MaRket. We will be there to review the Draft Network 1.0 and gather your input!
Bus Line Redesign Penn Hills Pop-Up // Oct 11, 2024 10:30 AM – Oct 11, 2024 12:30 PM // Penn Hills Library, Penn Hills Library, Stotler Road, Pittsburgh, PA, USA // Find our pop-up info tent at the Penn Hills Library. We will be there to review the Draft Network 1.0 and gather your input!
Bus Line Redesign Millvale Pop-Up // Oct 14, 2024 2:00 PM – Oct 14, 2024 5:00 PM // East Ohio & Grant St Bus Stop, 329 E Ohio St, Millvale, PA 15209, USA // Find our pop-up info tent at the East Ohio & Grant Street bus stop in Millvale. We will be there to review the Draft Network 1.0 and gather your input…
Bus Line Redesign Oakland Pop-Up // Oct 15, 2024 8:00 AM – Oct 15, 2024 10:00 AM // Atwood Station, 3705 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA // Find our pop-up info tent at Atwood Station in Oakland. We will be there to review the Draft Network 1.0 and gather your input!
Bus Line Redesign Wilkinsburg Pop-Up // Oct 15, 2024 3:00 PM – Oct 15, 2024 7:00 PM // Wilkinsburg Station, 1201 Pitt St, Pittsburgh, PA 15221, USA // Find our pop-up info tent at Wilkinsburg Station on the East Busway. We will be there to review the Draft Network 1.0 and gather your input!
Bus Line Redesign Super Pop-Up // Oct 16, 2024 11:00 AM – Oct 16, 2024 4:00 PM // Schenley Plaza, 4100 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15260 // Join us on October 16th at Schenley Plaza to learn about the Draft Network 1.0 and give your input!
Bus Line Redesign Northside Pop-Up // Oct 18, 2024 3:00 PM – Oct 18, 2024 7:00 PM // Northside Farmer’s Market, Allegheny Commons Park, Pittsburgh, PA, USA // Find our pop-up info tent at the Northside Farmer’s Market We will be there to review the Draft Network 1.0 and gather your input!
Congratulations to the new PPT Board Members, elected by our general membership to lead us 2024-2026!
Pittsburghers for Public Transit is a democratic, grassroots, member-led organization and we practice what we preach.
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, from mid-July to our Summer Party in August, all other members in good standing cast their votes. The winners are all invited to serve a two-year term. You too can join as a member of PPT and participate in this grassroots union, voting on our Board of Directors and the annual Strategic Plan that guides all of our campaign work and organizational development!
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 2024 who’ll be leading us until 2026!
2024 Board Members elected from our General Membership
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 8 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 25+ 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.
Bill McDowell
image description: image of Bill at a bus stop shelter holding up a fist
Bill McDowell is a long-time disability rights advocate. He has been a member of PPT for more than eight years and is passionate about equitable infrastructure, accessibility, and fair fares.
Bill has been a member of the PRT’s Committee for Accessible Transportation for many years and in that role has listened to the concerns and needs of the disability community in depth and has learned from those conversations over the years. Bill also believes that no one should be turned away from public transportation for the inability to pay a fare. Bill’s fight for an equitable transit system in Pittsburgh has been long, but is long from over. He appreciates the ability to do the work alongside so many other passionate transit justice advocates.
List of 3-5 projects or campaigns that the nominee has been involved with related to PPT, transit justice, activism, and/or movement building:
PRT Committee for Accessible Transportation
PPT Research Committee
Fair Fares Coalition
PPT Organizing committee – organizing for better sidewalk infrastructure
Fawn Walker Montgomery
image of Fawn Walker Montgomery with red hair and a white t-shirt
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:
CEO of Take Action Advocacy Group-A Black liberation organization who has worked on various efforts such as police accountability and food insecurity.
Leading efforts on environmental justice in the Mon Valley and beyond.
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!
Ms. Pearl Hughey
image description: image of Ms. Pearl with white hair in a green shirt
Pearl Hughey is a resident of Rankin Borough, a Mon Valley community in the East portion of Pittsburgh. Over the years Pearl has been involved in many activities within her community as well as participant in activities in the Greater Pittsburgh area. Pearl was a public official in her community, a member of the Rankin Christian Center board of directors, a founding member of the Rankin Community Development Corporation and actively participated in a computer tutoring program for Woodland Hills youth.
Most recently Pearl became involved with Pittsburgh Public Transit (PPT) when the expansion of the East Busway was being discussed. Pearl has been a transit rider for her entire work career (40+ years). She feels that transit opportunities for people in the Mon Valley are essential for the livelihood, growth and development of people that live in this region. It is important for all voices to be heard, and that is the main reason Pearl stays involved with PPT.
List of 3-5 projects or campaigns that the nominee has been involved with related to PPT, transit justice, activism, and/or movement building:
East Busway Project
Continued P3 Service to Swissvale Stop
Fair Fares Coalition
Ms. Verna Johnson
image of Ms. Verna wearing glasses and smiling
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
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.
Take action now to support the newly proposed PRTner Pass to establish a permanent employer and developer transit fare program that could mean free transit for workers and tenants in Allegheny County!
We at Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) celebrate the opening of the public comment period for the long-awaited bulk employer and developer discount fare program, or the “PRTner Pass.” At the July 26th Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) board meeting, PRT announced the proposal of a new fare program for employers, schools and developers to purchase bus passes for all their employees, renters and students, at the deeply discounted cost of $28/month per person.
This program has the potential to provide working class people across the county unlimited transit passes- freedom of movement- that will both save money on their existing transit trips and incentivize more travel by transit. Moreover, it will increase the amount of dedicated operating revenue for the agency, through new transit fare payments by corporations and developers, large non-profits, and even municipalities like the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
For too long, Pittsburgh Regional Transit has relied on regressive user fees for operating revenue to run transit service: at $2.75 a trip, fares can be a huge cost burden on riders, many of whom are low-income or working class, and the high cost of fares lowers ridership because many passengers cannot afford to pay for all the trips that they would otherwise choose to take. It’s a no-brainer for PRT to sell bulk transit passes at a discount to employers, particularly because there is excess capacity on buses and trains- PRT gets new revenue and new ridership, with no added costs.
It’s time for our transit agency to stop leaving this money on the table. In the Seattle region, more than half of the Sound Transit total fare revenue comes from bulk discount employer fare purchases similar to the PRTner Pass.
If you are a renter, a worker, an employer, and school board representative, a developer or anyone else that could benefit from the availability of a bulk discount fare program, we need you to share your story about why we need the PRTner Pass!
This proposal is a win that came from years of organizing, now it's time to make it real!
Here in Allegheny County, a bulk fare discount program has long been a demand of riders. We have known that there is a big demand by employers, schools and developers to buy transit passes, to provide a benefit similar to the student pass programs at CMU, Pitt and Pittsburgh Public Schools. Since 2019 and the launch of our Fair Fares Platform, PPT has called for Pittsburgh Regional Transit to offer common-sense fare products (we called them “fare incentive programs”) that would increase both revenue and ridership for the agency.
We have envisioned opportunities for large employers like UPMC to purchase passes for their workers, helping ease some of the transportation costs on our region’s healthcare staff and reducing the need for shuttles and parking lots that increase congestion and disallow more housing or commercial developments in the city. For service employees like those at Giant Eagle or janitors in the downtown office buildings, monthly transit passes could be a substantial commuter benefit, but it could also be used for all sorts of necessary trips outside of the workplace- for recreation and childcare, for grocery shopping and healthcare appointments.
image description: Lorena, left, standing with Nicole, right, both smiling and wearing red PPT t-shirts
PPT Member Lorena takes it to the airwaves to talk about her transit organizing with Pittsburgh's Latino Community
La Mega Pittsburgh sat down with one of our PPT members who has shown herself to be a leader in her community, and ours. Lorena has been working fiercely to get the Latino community in Pittsburgh connected to transit resources and to bring Spanish language access to the transit system in our county. Along with PPT and Case San José Lorena has been a driving force in planning and implementing the Transit Tours showing Latino residents and their families the ins and outs of the PRT transit system. We are so proud and excited that Lorena got to share with La Mega the work that she has been doing with us.
Through Lorena and PPT’s other member-led organizing there have been some crucial wins for Latino households in Allegheny County.
Transit System Wins for the Latino Community and Beyond
One win has been the integration of the Spanish language throughout our transit system including: bilingual stations along the Red Line have gained Spanish language access, as well as Spanish access on PRT’s Customer Service line (412-422-2000), and Spanish language info on some LED info boards along the Red Line.
Another win has been that after years of fighting for free fares came a pilot which demonstrated how access to transit without the barriers of fares dramatically improved the lives of transit riders. This year Allegheny County won a permanent half fare program.
In addition, after the terrible shutdown of the Red Line in 2022-2023 left passengers stranded in the cold, relying on shuttles that were completely unreliable and there was no communication from Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT), much less communication in Spanish, groups like PPT and Casa San Jose fought hard to make it known that this was not acceptable and this year when they were going to announce the Red Line repairs to the community, they reached out to PPT and Casa to help organize a community meeting and spread the message. That meeting was well-attended and prepared residents for the changes in the transit system that they knew would heavily impact their day to day lives.
Lastly, as previously mentioned, Pittsburghers for Public Transit and Casa San Jose are organizing Transit Tours for Latinos who have just arrived in the area, to help orient them to our public transportation system, how to get to important destinations and general customs in this new city. Lorena says that she has seen people’s lives change after these tours.
image description: a group of people on the Transit Tour standing in front of Casa San Jose, smiling
How You Can Help Your Community, Too
The work doesn’t end here. While we’ve had wins, we look forward to continuing to work closely with our Latino community and organizers in that community to bring transit justice to that community, along with many others. One way we know we can deliver on improving transit is by providing a roadmap for Visionary Transit Service. That’s why PPT has recently launched its Visionary Transit Service campaign, because we know that visionary transit is possible, necessary and transformative to the residents of our county.
To get involved in envisioning transit service that we know is possible please visit our website: pittsburghforpublictransit.org/vts to share your story with us and read the report from PPT’s research committee on Visionary Transit Service. Thank you to Lorena for sharing some of PPT’s vision with her community and with La Mega Pittsburgh radio. We hope to see you out there with us fighting for your community soon. The work continues!
Listen to the full interview with Lorena Peña and La Mega Pittsburgh here:
image description: photo collage of PPT Members having a great time at the Summer Party and Campaign Kickoff!
PPT kicks off the brand new Visionary Transit Service Campaign at the Summer Party – and spent a beautiful night enjoying delicious food, super-fun music, and the beautiful community we’re building together!
What an amazing time we had at our annual summer party! Thank you to the 130 PPT members and supporters who made it such a special night by attending and participating in the fun. Together, this crew has done some amazing work and we’re got so many more wins coming on the horizon. To recap here’s what our party had in store for us:
Launched our NEW Allegheny County VISIONARY TRANSIT SERVICE campaign
Had delicious food from Chicken Latino and Aladdin’s
Danced the night away to DJ Juan Diego!
Were amazed by O’Ryan the O’Mazing and played lawn games with our family and friends
Heard powerful stories from some of our PPT members, up close and in person
Met and/or reunited with over 100 PPT members and supporters
Voted for our new PPT Board of Directors
Wrapped up our successful Summer Member Drive, with 150 new and renewing members!
Celebrated our victories so far this year
But for the night’s main event, we launched A BRAND NEW campaign for Visionary Transit Service in Allegheny County!! Check out the new report and campaign!
image description: PPT Member and Visionary Transit Service Report Co-author Tayveon Kevin Smith launches the new report and campaign
Whether you’re black or white, whether you live in the North Hills or the South Hills, McKeesport or McKees Rocks, everyone deserves access to opportunity. Public transit gives us a healthy, clean, and affordable way for everyone to get around and can be that link. After decades of decline in our transit service and the possibility of every single transit line changing during Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s Bus Line Redesign, Pittsburghers for Public decided that the time for a big vision of what transit service can be is now.
The new Allegheny County Campaign for Visionary Transit Service says that better transit service is possible, neccessary and would be transformative for Allegheny County Communities. The campaign shows how frequent, accessible transit enabling all residents to reach their jobs, critical services, friends, and family is possible. It sets goals for expanded coverage, increased service and wider span of coverage throughout the day.
But most importantly, the Allegheny County Campaign for Visionary Service lays out how we can win this service by organizing together, electing politicians who will fight for public transit, and winning back the funding to move our communities.
The time for Visionary Transit Service in Allegheny County is now. Learn more and get involved here:
Check out these photos from the campaign launch and summer party, but first – BECOME A PPT MEMBER TO SUPPORT THIS GREAT WORK!
Image description: Portrait of PPT Member Lorena Pena with a caption that reads “Lorena Pena PPT Member organizing with the Latino Community for better transit.” next to text that reads “Summer Member Drive”
image description: a graphic with people on a bus in the background, Connor is in the foreground smiling; the text “Summer Member Drive” is overlaid in yellow to the left
PPT is powered by our membership! We are everyday people who care about our transit system and neighbors. Will you join PPT as a member today?
Meet PPT Member Connor Chapman! Connor plays a huge part in PPT’s Organizing Committee and our campaign for better bus stops. Hear from Connor what it means to be an active member of PPT:
“My name is Connor Chapman, I’m a PPT member and volunteer on our Organizing Committee. Transit justice happens through PPT’s committees, and I’ve seen it happen in the organizing committee’s campaign for equitable transit infrastructure. Access to quality bus shelters and sidewalks allows transit riders to feel safe, dignified, and valued.
Working closely with members of PPT’s Accessibility Committee, our organizing committee members developed tools and empowered our communities to audit city bus shelters to make sure that the private companies that provide most bus shelters in Pittsburgh are meeting their obligations to the city and its residents. At the same time, PPT’s Organizing committee is advancing transit justice by helping relocate dozens of ‘phantom shelters’ – bus shelters with no bus stops – to some of the communities that need them most. By redistributing these shelters, we fundamentally shape the future of our communities.
As PPT members, we are the driving force behind these changes. By joining our organizing committee, you can play a crucial role in shaping the future of transit justice in Pittsburgh. Your involvement can help ensure that all transit riders in our city have access to safe, dignified, and reliable public transportation. We rely on the support of dues-paying PPT members and volunteers like you to make this possible. I urge you to become an active member of PPT, join a committee, and help us shape our transit future.”
image description: a group of people with fists in the air and clapping; a big white board in front of them
Become a PPT Member today and help our organizing committee build better bus stops across our city!
image description: old photo of PPT Members smiling and raising fists at a monthly meeting.
Expanded PRT Customer Service Hours Make it Easier for Riders to Find Out Information and Report Issues
At the start of the summer, PRT moved to expand their digital customer service hours for an additional 12 hours/week (two new hours each weekday and one new hour on Saturday and Sunday). During the new digital customer service hours PRT staff will post service updates on TrueTime and social media, and answer rider questions via the chat feature on the PRT website. In their recent press release, PRT states that this is just the first expansion of digital customer service hours and that riders can expect even more hours by the end of 2024.
Transit advocates have long called for expanded customer service hours to make it easier for riders to stay informed about the system and have questions answered. We are supportive of this move to expand digital customer service hours and we want to keep encouraging PRT to expand digital, phone and in-person customer service hours to match the hours its system operates. We believe that very hour that there is a bus on the road, riders should be able to receive updates from PRT about our service.
The hours of customer service, as of 7/30/24, are below. Stay involved with PPT to continue the push for more expanded customer service hours for riders.
Starting July 1, digital customer service representatives will be available:
Monday through Friday: 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Weekends and holidays: 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Customer service phone representatives will remain available:
Monday through Friday: 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Weekends and holidays: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
PRT’s Downtown Service Center will also remain open:
Image Description: image description: a graphic half blue, half red and white graphic with summer and celebration background theme with the Summer Party location date and time, 8/14 5-9pm at Olympia Park, included is the campaign launch for Visionary Transit Service and an outline of the county
Join the launch PPT’s brand new ALLEGHENY COUNTY CAMPAIGN FOR VISIONARY TRANSIT SERVICE! Stick around to party and enjoy a free community dinner w great people!
Transit riders in Allegheny County have come together this year for some big wins – a county-wide discounted fare program, a transit advocate appointed to the PRT Board of Directors, a bulk fare program that could give employees & tenants FREE TRANSIT – and we wont stop now! PRT’s Bus Line Redesign is in full swing and could impact the operation of all 100+ transit lines in our system. SO THE TIME IS NOW for us to kick off the new Allegheny County Campaign for Visionary Service!
We want you to join us on August 14th. This ain’t your average PPT Summer Party! This is a PPT PARTY PLUS THE KICKOFF of our brand-new Allegheny County Campaign for Visionary Transit Service! We launch this vision now to win high-quality transit for all across Allegheny County. The party will start at 5pm with fun activities and member mingling. We’ll hold the Visionary Campaign Launch at 6pm with a short program to lay out our goals and also celebrate the HUGE member-led efforts that have gotten us to that point. Dinner will be served after and we’ll rock out on the dance floor until things wrap up around 9pm
All RSVPs will receive a free dinner. This is a family friendly event, with activities for kids and adults. Olympia Park has a playground and we will provide art supplies and games. Before/After our members’ remarks on our current campaigns, music will be provided, and we want to see you on the dance floor.
COVID procedures: Our event will be indoors with areas to socialize outdoors and areas surrounding it. The health and safety of our members is important to us. Masks are not required, but will be provided to everyone. We encourage everyone to take an at-home COVID rapid test before arriving. Please stay home if you are feeling sick or have come into contact with someone who has COVID-19.
¡Hola miembros de PPT! ¡Te invitamos a nuestra fiesta anual de verano!
Tenemos grandes sueños y grandes metas para nuestro sistema de transporte este año. Los miembros del PPT compartirán lo que será necesario para que logremos nuestras ambiciosas metas y lo que esos logros significan para que nuestras familias y nuestras comunidades vivan vidas plenas y vibrantes.
Este es un evento familiar, con actividades para niños y adultos. Olympia Park tiene un área de juegos para niños y proporcionaremos materiales de arte y juegos. Antes/después de los comentarios de nuestros miembros sobre nuestras campañas actuales, tendremos música y queremos verlo en la pista de baile.
Procedimientos COVID: Nuestro evento será adentro con áreas para socializar afuera y áreas aledañas al mismo. La salud y seguridad de nuestros miembros es importante para nosotros. No se requieren máscaras, pero se proporcionarán a todos. Animamos a todos a que se hagan una prueba rápida de COVID en casa antes de llegar. Quédese en casa si se siente enfermo o ha estado en contacto con alguien que tiene COVID-19.
image description: screenshot from Google Maps shows the Olympia Park sign at the park entrance from 1010 Virginia Ave.
Details: The event will be a casual indoor/outdoor, mid-year celebration of the transit victories by PPT members in 2024! Wear what makes you feel comfortable and your best self. The picnic will be on August 14 at the indoor facility at Olympia Park in Mount Washington. Feel free to arrive and leave at whatever times work best for you. The event will begin at 5:00pm and end at 9:00pm.
What to expect: This is a family friendly event, with activities for kids and adults. Olympia Park has a playground and we will provide art supplies and games. Before/After our members’ remarks on our current campaigns, music will be provided, and we want to see you on the dance floor. Attendees should not feel obligated to attend the entire event.
Food: Come hungry! We will have food by Chicken Latino serving up the flavors of Peru, for free! Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options will be available, along with water and non-alcoholic drinks. While the food is complimentary with registration, please RSVP so that we can have a count of how many people to expect.
Accessibility: The distance from the 40 Mount Washington Bus stop is on a slight grade. Take care when using a manual mobility device. Some games and activities will take place outside of the shelter in grass. The bathrooms are indoors and have an accessible stall, but do not have an access button. There will be a DJ playing music inside the shelter, which could be loud, but we will do our best to play it at a volume that is comfortable for all attendees. Attendees should be ready for variable mid-August weather and lighting. There will be interpretation in both ASL and Spanish, upon request.
Getting there:The party will be held at Olympia Park Indoor Shelter House. Address; Olympia Rd. and Virginia Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15211. The 40 Mount Washington-Duquesne Heights bus stop is within a 5-10 minute walk or roll and the Duquesne Incline is within a 10 minute walk or roll. Entrance for parking is on Virginia Ave, turn into the park across from Olympia Street. There is reserved disability parking closer to the shelter. There is a designated parking lot located at the end of Hallock Street and there is residential parking on Hallock Street. If you need help with transportation, contact PPT to discuss options, 312.307.2429 or info@pittsburghforpublictransit.org.
COVID procedures: Our event will be indoors with areas to socialize outdoors and areas surrounding it. The health and safety of our members is important to us. Masks are not required, but will be provided to everyone. We encourage everyone to take an at-home COVID rapid test before arriving. Please stay home if you are feeling sick or have come into contact with someone who has COVID-19.
Want to take the next step and help make this campaign launch party a success? Sign up to volunteer!
image description: photos of all nominated candidates running for the PPT board with words encouraging members to vote
PPT’s election for our Board of Directors will run from July 10th-August 14th. All PPT Members in good standing should cast their ballots for our next leadership team!
We are excited to announce the following slate of candidates who were nominated to join the PPT Board of Directors. PPT Member can vote for the next round of leaders who understand the importance of our work for transit justice in Allegheny County – leaders who are looking to become more involved in directing the course of our campaigns, communications and actions.
Learn more about the nominees in their bios below and select the one who you feel can help usher our organization and movement into a new era of advocacy, connectivity and engagement.
As a reminder, there are 5 board seats available for PPT General Members and 1 seat available for a unionized transit worker PPT Member. All those elected will serve from August 2024 to August 2026.
All candidates are listed below in alphabetical order by first name. There is a photo and short bio for each candidate to give background on their past work for transit justice and other issues. Each nominee has approved and contributed to their bio.
PPT Members can vote for up to 5 of the following candidates to fill PPT General Member seats on our Board of Directors:
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 8 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 25+ 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.
Bill McDowell
image description: image of Bill at a bus stop shelter holding up a fist
Bill McDowell is a long-time disability rights advocate. He has been a member of PPT for more than eight years and is passionate about equitable infrastructure, accessibility, and fair fares.
Bill has been a member of the PRT’s Committee for Accessible Transportation for many years and in that role has listened to the concerns and needs of the disability community in depth and has learned from those conversations over the years. Bill also believes that no one should be turned away from public transportation for the inability to pay a fare. Bill’s fight for an equitable transit system in Pittsburgh has been long, but is long from over. He appreciates the ability to do the work alongside so many other passionate transit justice advocates.
List of 3-5 projects or campaigns that the nominee has been involved with related to PPT, transit justice, activism, and/or movement building:
PRT Committee for Accessible Transportation
PPT Research Committee
Fair Fares Coalition
PPT Organizing committee – organizing for better sidewalk infrastructure
Fawn Walker Montgomery
image of Fawn Walker Montgomery with red hair and a white t-shirt
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:
CEO of Take Action Advocacy Group-A Black liberation organization who has worked on various efforts such as police accountability and food insecurity.
Leading efforts on environmental justice in the Mon Valley and beyond.
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!
Ms. Pearl Hughey
image description: image of Ms. Pearl with white hair in a green shirt
Pearl Hughey is a resident of Rankin Borough a Mon Valley community in the East portion of Pittsburgh. Over the years Pearl has been involved in many activities within her community as well as participant in activities in Greater Pittsburgh area. Pearl was a public official in her community, a member of the Rankin Christian Center board of directors, a founding member of the Rankin Community Development Corporation and actively participated in a computer tutoring program for Woodland Hills youth.
Most recently Pearl became involved with Pittsburgh Public Transit (PPT) when the expansion of the East Busway was being discussed. Pearl has been a transit rider for her entire work career (40+ years). She feels that transit opportunities for people in the Mon Valley are essential for the livelihood, growth and development of people that live in this region. It is important for all voices to be heard, and that is the main reason Pearl stays involved with PPT.
List of 3-5 projects or campaigns that the nominee has been involved with related to PPT, transit justice, activism, and/or movement building:
East Busway Project
Continued P3 Service to Swissvale Stop
Fair Fares Coalition
Ms. Verna Johnson
image of Ms. Verna wearing glasses and smiling
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
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.
Overview of PPT’s Board Election Process
Pittsburghers for Public Transit is a grassroots, democratic, member-led organization that fights for racial justice and public transit as a human right. The election of a Board of Directors from and by our general membership is a cornerstone of what keeps us accountable to our members. The Board is responsible for strategizing and executing the organization’s campaigns, outreach, governance, and fundraising.
The Board’s Executive Committee chooses how many seats will be up for PPT’s board election each year. Our bylaws say that our Board can be anywhere from 5 to 15 people and that 2 seats are reserved for transit workers connected to a local transit union. Earlier this year our Board’s Executive Committee decided to open 6 seats to be elected from our general membership, and 1 seat to be elected to a transit worker.
Each spring, the PPT membership nominates fellow members to run for the Board of Directors. If those members accept the nomination, then they are invited to submit a photo and bio to be placed on the ballot, and they are invited to speak about their qualifications at the July General Member Meeting.
PPT Members in good standing can cast their ballots for two weeks in July. The nominees with the highest vote totals are invited to join the Board of Directors for a 2-year term.
How can PPT members vote?
PPT Members in good standing can cast their ballots from July 12th to August 9th using the form below. The nominees with the highest vote totals are invited to join the Board of Directors for a two-year term. As a reminder, all active PPT members commit to doing the following:
Pay dues to support our budget. We encourage members to give at least $2.75 monthly (the cost of a single PRT fare), but no one is turned away because of funds.
Take part to help us win our campaigns. PPT Members contribute to our campaigns in many different ways, and you can find the way that’s right for you. This could mean anything from joining meetings to voting in our elections, participating in a committee, spreading the word on social media, to speaking up for transit at a public meeting.
