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Big plans are in progress for public transit in Allegheny County (and the whole Southwest PA region including Beaver, Butler, Westmoreland County and 6 other regions)!
The Southwest Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) is a planning body for the 10 counties of Southwest PA, representing a region bigger than the state of New Jersey. The SPC applies for and receives a lot of federal and state funding for regional public transit projects, and they have a lot of planners on staff to help identify and design repairs and improvements to our transit systems.
Well, every five years, the SPC updates its Long Range Transportation Plan. Right now, the SPC is asking for feedback on that draft plan, called SmartMoves for a Changing Region: Long Range Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Programs. For Allegheny County and Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT), this plan has some big visions including the busway extensions to the Mon Valley and Monroeville, an aerial gondola (!) running north and south connecting Allentown and communities south of the Yough to Hazelwood to Oakland and up to Lawrenceville. This plan also has some necessary big repairs and replacements, like replacing much of our rail car fleet and building a fifth bus garage, one that can allow for more buses and an electric fleet.
The SPC is holding their Allegheny County virtual public meeting to talk about the Long Range Transportation Plan and get public input. Register here to attend virtually at 6:00pm and make sure your priorities are heard!
Email your comments on the plan to comments@spcregion.org
Or click here for the SPC Public Input Form to submit your survey
For PPT, we felt that it was most important to call on the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission to include some plans and goals around restoring and expanding transit service in the long-range plan. The current plan draft doesn’t really mention growing service, which seems like a big oversight– transit riders have lost so much service frequency since the beginning of the pandemic (10% in Allegheny County of total operating service hours), with no plan for those transit service hours to be restored. That means that riders are left waiting at the stop for longer between buses or trolleys, and sometimes the service cuts have meant that transit stops earlier at night, leaving riders stranded after work or starts later in the day, leaving riders without options to get to work in the early morning.
The problem is, for PRT to restore and expand transit service, PRT needs to get serious about recruiting and retaining transit operators. With a beginning shortfall of more than 200 frontline transit workers, and not enough new employees being trained each quarter to replace the workers that are retiring or leaving, something drastic needs to change if we want the service trend to go in the right direction.
In PPT”s letter to the SPC for comments on the Long Range Transportation Plan, we put forward the following suggestions:
“In order to have an effective, connected regional transportation network, the restoration and the expansion of fixed route transit service across all ten counties must be a central focus. The SPC should be a leader in visioning what a frequent and reliable transit service network across our 10 county region would look like. Sister municipal planning organizations to the SPC like METRO in greater Portland, Oregon centered the need for expanded service frequency and affordable fares in their long-range plan, and the San Francisco area Metropolitan Transportation Commission explicitly named goals and the cost to reverse pandemic-related cuts to total transit service hours as well as the funding needed to expand local transit frequency and reliability.
At a minimum:
As one last note, we really wanted to celebrate that the plan calls for bus rapid transit from downtown Pittsburgh into the Mon Valley, and in the Eastern Suburbs out to Monroeville! These demands have been the focus of our Beyond the East Busway campaign, and they are next on the docket to be funded and implemented! PPT Organizing Fellows led a planning effort to survey hundreds of transit riders in those communities to identify what improvements transit riders needed to make buses and their streets safer, their buses faster and their trips more dignified…when we organize, we win!
Read the plan, and give your comments! There’s lot’s you can weigh in on. If you also want to weigh in about a need for service restoration and expansion, it’d be good to share how the transit service cuts have impacted you and your community, and how transit service expansion would benefit your life.
Thursday, June 8th at 6:00 pm, SPC Long Range Plan Public Meeting:
Email your feedback: comments@spcregion.org or click here SPC Public Input Form Survey (surveymonkey.com)
6/5/2023
Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT)’s Public Comment on the 2023 SPC SmartMoves: Long Range Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Programs Draft
Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) is a grassroots union of transit riders and transit workers, organizing for a more expanded, affordable, equitable and accessible transit system in Allegheny County. Our region and our communities thrive with strong and stable investment into our public transit system. As such, we support the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission (SPC)’s Long Range Transportation Plan’s call to increase capital funding directed towards public transit capital needs like building a fifth bus garage, replacing the light rail fleet, and addressing PRT’s state of good repair needs. We support the need to expand local funding options to supplement state transit funding, and the holistic, equitable land use and TDM policies to make transit accessible to low income and other marginalized communities, and incentivize transit use over single occupancy vehicles.
We particularly applaud the progress towards the visionary public transit projects being planned: of the North-South connector spanning neighborhoods like Allentown, Hazelwood, Oakland and the Hill District, and the extension of dedicated BRT corridors to Monroeville and Mon Valley. The latter project has been a central goal of our organization over the last several years, stemming from an extensive PPT participatory planning effort with local leaders in the Eastern Suburbs and the Mon Valley to identify priority transit corridors and infrastructure needs that would best serve those communities.
However, while capital improvements and investments can make transit more accessible, safer and more efficient, there is a major omission in the current Long Range Transportation Plan draft. Over the last several years of the pandemic, communities across the 10 county SW-PA region have all been devastated by deep and lingering service cuts. In Allegheny County alone, total Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) revenue operating hours have been cut by at least 10%, through incremental reductions every quarterly service change over these last several years. For smaller transit agencies, service cuts can have an even more drastic impact with riders left stranded for hours. When transit service is reduced, so too is resident access to high paying jobs, healthcare networks, schools, childcare and community services. Without reliable, frequent transit service, our regional goals– for a robust economy, for clean air and lower congestion, for mobility for all– simply cannot be met, because electric buses that only run once an hour, or upgraded station areas that have limited transit service don’t actually meet resident needs.
And there is no end in sight for transit service reductions. At PRT, the transit operator shortfall is a primary catalyst for these cuts, and this is mirrored in counties across the SPC footprint. Allegheny County fixed route transit now has a deficit of over 200 frontline transit employees, and the labor crisis is growing every day because of worker attrition and the hundreds of frontline workers anticipated to hit retirement age this year and next year. At this point, PRT does not even have the capacity to train new employees quickly enough to just replace those that are outgoing each quarter, let alone to close the frontline worker gap. Without ambitious worker recruitment and retention plans, without dedicated operating funding for these purposes, and without a focus on transit operators and transit service restoration and expansion in the SPC Long- Range Plan, our communities will not thrive.
Fortunately, there is a blueprint for addressing the transit worker shortfall. TransitCenter, a national transit think tank and foundation, published a heavily-researched guide to addressing the labor shortfall entitled “Bus Operators in Crisis” last year with specific policy recommendations for transit agencies, municipalities, states and the federal government. More specifically for our region, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85 President Ross Nicotero wrote an op-ed published in TRIBLive that offered a number of suggestions around hiring and retention that takes into account the experiences of the thousands of current and former operators that he represents. These recommendations could expand upon the Workforce for Change portion of the SPC long-range plan, to highlight the workforce needs to specifically provide the transit service quality our communities deserve. Transit operator jobs are the jobs of today and the future.
In order to have an effective, connected regional transportation network, the restoration and the expansion of fixed route transit service across all ten counties must be a central focus. The SPC should be a leader in visioning what a frequent and reliable transit service network across our 10 county region would look like. Sister municipal planning organizations to the SPC like METRO in greater Portland, Oregon centered the need for expanded service frequency and affordable fares in their long-range plan, and the San Francisco area Metropolitan Transportation Commission explicitly named goals and the cost to reverse pandemic-related cuts to total transit service hours as well as the funding needed to expand local transit frequency and reliability.
At a minimum:
Without a long-term plan to restore service to pre-pandemic levels and both budget and plan for the expansion of service, it will be impossible to meet the mobility and climate goals of the long-range plan. If public transportation continues on the path of fewer operators, reduced service hours, and shrunken route coverage, local economies will continue to be left behind. We are hopeful that the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission can be a compelling force towards reversing this trend, by centering the need for restored and expanded transit service and a strong plan for transit operator hiring and retention in the 2023 SmartMoves: Long Range Transportation Plan.
Recipe for a PPT Organizer:
9 years labor organizer with Unite Here
20 years proud service industry worker
A dash of local, diy Pittsburgh organizing
Several ounces of personal and family history of riding public transit
A heavy pour of working class, immigrant family
Shaken not stirred.
There you have PPT’s newest community organizer, Nicole Gallagher! Her family roots and strong sense of right and wrong have made social justice work a pleasure through most of her adult life. At any meeting, you’ll hear her sharing tales from her union organizing experience at hotels in Chicago or the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. When she’s not sharing about work, find her telling true stories at local storytelling events around the city or out hiking in the woods with her dogs.
PPT is growing and so is our movement. This is big news for public transit organizing in Pittsburgh. Nicole has lived and organized in Pittsburgh for over a decade. She has worked on a spectrum of issues – from workers rights, to healthcare access, to sex-positive education. PPT couldn’t be more excited for her to bring that perspective into the organizing. Good things are to come.
After some good debate summer about the tradeoffs of creating a larger staff, the PPT Board decided to add a second Community Organizer and bring PPT’s paid staff up to four full-time members. This position double’s the organizign capacity at PPT, which allows us to further-develop existing PPT members as leaders and build stronger connections with new constituencies. The Board’s central goal with the new position is to build a stronger, more engaged grassroots base of leaders. Because we know this will translate to winning more campaigns for better public transit and more affordable housing access for Pittsburghers.
As a person raised in a working class, immigrant family in Chicago, public transit has been a vital part of Nicole Gallagher’s life from the get-go. She grew up hearing stories of how her grandmother learned to speak English on the bus and accompanied her mother on grocery runs, often helping with the arduous task of navigating a shopping cart full of groceries on the bus ride home. A proud waitress, Nicole spent nearly a decade organizing with the labor union, Unite Here. At any meeting, you’ll hear her sharing tales from her union organizing experience at hotels in Chicago or the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh. When she’s not sharing about work, find her telling true stories at local storytelling events around the city or out hiking in the woods with her dogs.
I have always been a fighter, drawn to standing up for what is right. Nothing is as powerful and beautiful to me as being a part of people taking control and changing their lives. I still get a rush when I think of some of the unionization actions I participated in at the Rivers Casino. Organizing is real magic to me. For years I had been hearing that PPT was doing really great organizing in Pittsburgh. I felt that if I were going to organize full time again, it had to be with the real deal and it had to be at the intersection of so many urgent issues in Pittsburgh, which is where PPT is at.
When I first moved to Pittsburgh I started riding the 91, 88, 86 and 87 from my houses in Lawrenceville and later Bloomfield. When I worked at the casino, I used to love parking in their lot for free and riding the T into downtown. I’ve always preferred to bike when the weather is nice. Now that I live on the northside I ride the 6. My last job in the service industry demanded that I work late hours, so I started driving more because I was scared of getting stranded on the other side of town in the middle of the night. This has given me a real understanding of the cost of living off of a bus line that is not as accessible. I look forward to riding the bus more now with the perspective of someone who can help make a difference.
I’m learning a lot about the service cuts and operator shortage since the pandemic. These issues feel very winnable to me! If there are resources for new infrastructure, there are resources to restore service and hire drivers.
I am inspired by people’s stories, in particular those of overcoming struggle. I remember being 10 or 11 years old, watching a PBS documentary about the Civil Rights Movement and feeling in awe as I watched Dr. Martin Luther King lead a march. I vowed to myself right then that I would dedicate my life to serving others. I don’t think I really even understood what I was saying to myself, but through the years I have felt that grow inside of me and become a reality. People’s resilience AMAZES me everyday.
I love music, so I’m gonna share a few of my favorite pump-up songs:
1. The Coup, Favorite Mutiny – used to listen to this song on my way to the casino to get myself in the mood when I was about to confront management.
2. Beyonce, Big Ego – I listen to this when I’m anxious and doubting myself. Nothing like a solo dance party to feel oneself.
3. Julie Andrews, My Favorite Things – I listened to this at the casino when I was faced with anti union coworkers who liked to angrily confront me. It reminded me that there was sweetness in the world. When I’m sad, it lifts my mood to remember how I got through those rough days.
Out with the bad, in with the good! As the brass band sings, join us to celebrate the burial of the Mon Oakland Connector and uplift a new vision of community-centered process to take its place – one that uplifts the power of Pittsburghers over products and corporate profits. Join residents of Four Mile Run, Hazelwood and Panther Hollow, along with Junction Coalition, Pittsburghers for Public Transit, P.O.O.R.L.A.W., GH-CARED, and Eagleburger Band, for a New Orleans-style brass band funeral parade followed by a good-’ol community potluck picnic.
This is a family friendly, pet friendly, bike friendly event. Attendees are encouraged (but not required!) to wear their Sunday best or any manner of colorful costumes to celebrate what neighbors can build when we work together.
Start at the Panther Hollow Parking lot and end at the playground in The Run. We recommend walking up from The Run to join us at the start, a 15-20 min walk at a leisurely pace. If you’d like to attend the picnic but not participate in the march you can meet at the playground in The Run at 1:45pm.
Attendees can bring a dish or something else or not. Some refreshments will be generously provided by Big Jims and Zano’s Pub House.
The 52L, 53L, 56, 58 stop is a 5 min walk to the playground in The Run. The start of the parade in Panther Hollow is a 15-20 min walk from there. Car parking is available in the lot at the soccer field next to the Junction Hollow trail. Bike parking available in the park.
On May 16, Sara Innamorato won the Democratic nomination for Allegheny County Executive. Joe Rockey won the Republican nomination for the seat. Both will face off in the General Election on November 7, 2023. The Allegheny County Executive is the top-dog when it comes to public transit in Southwestern PA, so it is critical that transit rider get active in this election. The County Executive controls the majority of appointments to the Pittsburgh Regional Transit Board of Directors which control the transit agency’s $500+ million Operating Budget and $200+ million Capital Budget. Additionally, the County Executive controls board appointments and hundreds of millions of budget dollars at numerous County entities that directly impact the public transit system and its riders, such as the County Housing Authority, the County Department of Human Services, and the County Economic Development agency.
The County Executive has the power to transform transit for local riders, so Pittsburghers for Public Transit has worked hard through the Allegheny County Primary Election season to advocate, educate and organize around the importance of public transit. We invited all candidates to ride the bus with us to see firsthand the issues as well as the demands that transit riders and workers have. We published our #VoteTransit Candidate Questionnaire to hear from candidates directly about their platforms. We’ve launched petitions and actions to allow riders to speak up for their issues.
Of the two partys’ current nominees, only Representative Sara Innamorato accepted our invitation to ride the bus with transit riders and workers, and she was the only one to submit her answers on the #VoteTransit Questionnaire. Joe Rockey was invited to both opportunities but declined response. We will continue to extend every invitation to him and seek his input on the future of transit.
During the ride along, Sara Innamorato listened to Ms. Sherai Richardson, transit rider and participant in the Allegheny County Discounted Fare Pilot program. Ms. Richardson spoke about how this pilot has improved the lives of her neighbors. Over 14,000 people in Allegheny County are currently enrolled in the pilot. We know that unfortunately, the cost of transit fare remains a barrier to even more of our neighbors. PPT will continue to fight for affordable transit and a zero-fare program for low-income riders. Ms. Innamorato then boarded the 82 Lincoln with transit riders Ms. Teaira Collins and Ms. Verna Johnson, joined by PRT Operator Instructor Sasha Craig. Sasha Craig impressed the importance of the PRT workforce, scheduling constraints, and the urgent need to hire more operators to keep service running. Along the route, spanning from East Liberty to Downtown, Ms. Innamorato learned from riders how the impacts of reduced scheduling, aging sidewalk infrastructure, and connections to affordable housing and neighborhood amenities look vastly different along a route that spans multiple neighborhoods.
In addition to the invitation for a ride-along, each candidate was sent a questionnaire highlighting rider and worker demands of the next county executive and asking candidates to detail their vision for transit in Allegheny County. Check out the #VoteTransit County Executive Candidate Q&A blog to find out all the candidates’ responses. In her questionnaire, Sara Innamorato stated that she plans to commit to:
We await to hear from Joe Rockey on his position and priorities.
As the dust settles from this primary election, one thing is abundantly clear: transit riders made public transit a top priority in the County Executive race. We brought energy across every neighborhood and every borough, and have gotten a step closer to deciding how to make our system better serve those who need it most.
The only way we can push towards transit justice and gain the transit we need and deserve, is if we all do our part.
Voters will roll to the polls to elect a new leader for the MOST POWERFUL REGIONAL OFFICE FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT, the Allegheny County Executive. The County Executive appoints a majority of PRT Board members, they control billions of public dollars, and set policy that can transform transit. Riders need to learn the public transit platforms that each candidate will bring to office and VOTE for the candidate who shares our vision.
Last month, PPT issued a #VoteTransit Questionnaire to each of the candidates for County Executive. We wanted to give the candidates an opportunity to lay out the priorities that they have for public transit, affordable housing, economic and environmental justice.
We also want riders to get familiar with these candidates and pledge to #VoteTransit for an Executive who will do the most for transit riders and our transit system.
In PPT’s #VoteTransit Qestionnaire, Sara commits to use the office of Allegheny County Executive to:
🚌 Appoint at least one rider and one operator to the PRT board
🚌 Put a moratorium on service reductions and cuts
🚌 Create a permanent zero-fare program for all SNAP/EBT recipients
🚌 Build more affordable, transit-oriented development
🚌 Work with Mayor Gainey and other local leaders to invest infrastructure dollars to improve transit, and pass pro-transit zoning reforms at the municipal level
🚌 Establish more communication between PRT and the community and transit advocates
🚌 Fully implement a bulk pass discount program to get large employers to pre-pay for transit passes for their employees
🚌 Seek PILOT payments or additional taxes from large employers and non-profits
🚌 Create a new position at PRT focused on language accessibility and disability access
In PPT’s #VoteTransit Questionnaire Michael commits to use the office of Allegheny County Executive to:
🚌 Turn the discount fair pilot program into a zero fare program for all SNAP/EBT households in Allegheny County.
🚌Increase transit-oriented development
🚌Support incentives and requirements to significantly increase affordable housing
🚌Ensure that PRT and county government regularly hear from transit riders and workers to keep county gov accountable
🚌Increase transit funding by leveraging state and federal funding, along with greater contributions from corporations and our largest employers
🚌Require corporations and our largest employers to pay their fair share and contribute to our communities.
🚌Ensure that no one in our communities is ever excluded because of a disability, a language barrier, or any other reason
In PPT’s #VoteTransit Questionnaire, John commits to use the office of Allegheny County Executive to:
🚌Engage at all local levels to determine local needs
🚌Utilize private-public partnerships to fund a permanent zero fare program for all SNAP/EBT households in Allegheny County
🚌Regularly hold listening sessions to dentify systemic problems and coverage gaps. Adapt as necessary
🚌Promote internal efficiencies
🚌Expand the fleet’s transition to electric buses
🚌Call for a funding increase from the Allegheny Regional Asset District.
🚌Promote inclusivity and welcome individuals of all backgrounds
In PPT’s #VoteTransit Questionnaire, Dave commits to use the office of Allegheny County Executive to:
🚌 Cut or eliminate fares for those under the median income level
🚌Address the issue of the ongoing shortage of operators
🚌Expand transit service in Allegheny County
🚌Encourage employers and non-profits to supplement or fully pay fares for their students, patients and employees
🚌Encourage the passage of local zoning ordinance changes to require affordable housing
🚌Require developers to build affordable housing if they receive any sort of public funding for their development
🚌Encourage PRT to investment in better facilities and stops near actual and potential affordable housing sites
🚌Appoint riders to the PRT Board
🚌Insist that PRT make changes in routes, facilities and programs as suggested by transit riders
🚌Appoint a member of the Board to represent the interests of the disability community and other minority populations.
In PPT’s #VoteTransit Questionnaire, Will commits to use the office of Allegheny County Executive to:
🚌 Update the bus schedules to real times, delays, and potential road closures
🚌Work with developers and make sure affordable housing guidelines in place before any contracts are approved.
🚌Invest in new technology and add rating features on the bus for transit riders to give real-time feedback
🚌Increase funding for PRT by partnering with corporations, local businesses, and nonprofits
🚌Always consider both language barriers and disability barriers when making critical decisions around them
Pittsburghers for Public Transit is a grassroots union of transit riders, transit workers and neighbors. We fight for a public transit system that is expanded, reliable, accessible and affordable to all in Allegheny County, with no community left out. We operate as a truly member-led organization, and that sets us apart from other non-profits because it is our membership that actually elects our Board of Directors, develops and votes to approve our yearly campaign plan, and participates in our different committees to execute our successful campaigns.
Our organizational election season is a special time for PPT! We are looking for a new round of leaders who understand the importance of our work for transit justice in Allegheny County, and are looking to get more involved in directing the course of our campaigns, communications, and actions. Nominations are open until July 5th. The nomination of transit riders, transit workers, Youth, Black people, Indigenous people, People of Color, LGBTQ People, People with Disabilities, Immigrants, and Women are strongly encouraged.
See the list of current Board Members here.
This year, the board decided to open 5 seats for General PPT Members to serve on the board. These people will be elected to the seats currently filled by Barb Warwick, Dean Mougianis, Nickole Nesby, Paul O’Hanlon, and Swetha Jasti. Then our bylaws require that an additional seat is open for election that is reserved for a union transit worker. This seat is currently being filled by Kevin Joa.
Nominations for these seats are open until Jul 5th. All current PPT Members are welcome to nominate themselves or another PPT Member. Outgoing board members are able to self-nominate or be nominated by another to serve another term.
PPT members are all those who support the Transit Bill of Rights, have participated in a PPT action or meeting, and have given dues of at least $2.75 cents within the last year (the cost of a single PRT fare).
PPT staff will confirm with each nominee whether they accept the nomination to be on the ballot. Each nominee will also be invited to submit up to 250 words about their background, experience, and vision for the organization. This can be submitted through the nomination form, email, or via phone and PPT staff will transcribe.
All nominee bios will be sent to PPT Members the second week of June and again the first week of July. Bios and photos will also be included in the ballot. Nominees will have 3 minutes to speak at the July PPT member meeting before votes are cast to highlight their vision for PPT and how their skills will help build the organization.
Voting in the 2023 Board of Directors election will open at PPT’s monthly meeting on July 12th, and run until the end of the month. PPT members cast their vote via an online form that will be shared at the July meeting and emailed, or by calling PPT’s Director.
Each July, PPT members vote for leaders to fill seats on PPT’s 5-15 member Board of Directors. Board Members serve a 2-year term. 2 seats must be filled by members of the Amalgamated Transit Union, Local 85 (the union that represents all of the Port Authority’s bus operators and maintenance workers) or another transportation union that represents workers in Allegheny County because strong community/labor solidarity is a central belief of the organization. The other seats are filled by members who have had previous experience with PPT’s work, and are looking to bring their involvement to the next level.
Members of the Board are expected to attend quarterly Board meetings and should also stay engaged with General Membership Meetings on the second Wednesday of each month. Additionally, Coordinating Committee members will need to maintain active lines of communication with PPT staff and other PPT members to advise and assist with the organization’s strategy, tactics, structure, and financial sustainability. CC Members should also serve on one of PPT’s three committees (Organizing Committee, Communications Committee, and Research Committee).
An excerpt of Article IV of PPT’s bylaws with full detail of the expectations and powers of PPT’s board is included at the bottom of this blog.
The PPT Board of Directors shall hereinafter be referred to as the Board.
The Board is responsible for managing the business affairs, property, and policies of PPT. The Board shall be composed of five (5) to fifteen (15) members representing diverse interests and areas of expertise that strengthen the knowledge base of PPT. A minimum of two (2) seats will be reserved for members of the Amalgamated Transit Union or any union representing mass transportation workers in the Greater Pittsburgh Region. One of these reserved transportation union seats shall be elected in every second year. The Board shall have charge of the proper, normal, and usual expenditures and other business of the corporation; they shall enforce the provision of these bylaws; they shall abide by the policies and procedures set forth in the Policies and Procedures Manual, and shall enforce the rules and regulations set forth for the management, care, and governance of the property and affairs of the corporation. The Board may employ or appoint such person or persons, or agents, as they deem necessary to further the business of the corporation and shall set and adjust the compensation of all persons or agents so employed or appointed.
The Board will hire an Executive Director who may hire such paid staff as they deem proper and necessary for the operation of the Corporation. The powers and duties of the Executive Director shall be assigned or delegated by the Board of Directors. The powers and duties of the paid staff, other than the Executive Director, shall be as assigned or as delegated by the Executive Director and/or the Board of Directors, in accordance with PPT personnel policies.
Board members shall be elected from the eligible voting, dues-paying membership, and only dues-paying members are eligible to run in the elections. Candidates for the board must have been a dues-paying member for six (6) months prior to an election.
The Board of PPT shall serve without compensation. Board members may be reimbursed for pre-approved expenses reasonably incurred on behalf of PPT. Nothing in this paragraph is intended to preclude a Board member from receiving compensation for their service to PPT in some other capacity, provided that the transaction has been reviewed and approved by the Finance Committee in compliance with PPT’s conflict of interest policy.
Nominations for new Board members will be made and publicized by the Board, Membership, and/or staff, at least two (2) months before the Membership meeting at which the election will take place. Elections for the Board shall take place every year, with five (5) seats elected in even years, and six (6) seats elected in odd years.
Elections shall be announced verbally at the two (2) immediately preceding membership meetings before the election.
Dues paying members in good standing are eligible to vote.
Bios and platforms of candidates shall be distributed by email to members one month in advance of the vote, and publicized on PPT’s website. Candidates will have three (3) minutes to address the general membership in advance of the election during the general membership meeting. Voting will be open for a minimum of one (1) week.
The government of PPT, the direction of its work, and the control of its property shall be vested in the Board. The Board shall be authorized to adopt such rules and regulations as may be deemed advisable for the government of the Board, the proper conduct of business of PPT, and the guidance of all committees, officers, and employees. The Board shall be empowered to do whatever in its judgement may be calculated to increase efficiency and add to the usefulness of PPT; and to carry out the main purpose of this association provided such action is not in conflict with these bylaws.
PPT shall be non-partisan and non-sectarian in its activities.
Directors shall be elected to a term of two (2) years. Board members shall serve a maximum of three (3) consecutive terms.
Board members must attend a minimum of three (3) out of the four (4) quarterly board meetings per year by phone or presence. Failure to fulfill minimum board obligations may be accepted by the board as a de facto or implicit resignation. The Board member will be informed before the publication of such de facto resignation to the members.
Last year, transit riders with PPT and allied organizations Just Harvest, the Pittsburgh Food Policy Council and UrbanKind Institute won a year-long low income transit fare pilot for 14,000 residents, funded and evaluated by the County Department of Human Services (DHS). In this program, a third of enrollees were given free fare cards, a third were given half fare cards, and a third were enrolled in a control group that received $10 on a Connect Card.
Enrollees in the program like Ms. Tameeka Jones-Cuff, who were provided free fares, show how removing barriers to transit access has been life-changing. PPT member Dean Mougianis interviewed Tameeka, and she shared that not worrying about transit fares has allowed her and her children to get caught up on needed doctor’s appointments and physical therapy:
The Allegheny County Dept. of Human Services has now also released aggregate data on people enrolled in its Discounted Fare Pilot Program through a public dashboard. The data show the extremely high demand for the program with nearly 16,000 applications across the county, and an acute need for a long-term program. The early data, along with participant testimonials, show that the program is reaching those in need and having transformative benefits.
Participants in the program are primarily heads of households with children, most of whom are sole providers. Many of the program participants are working or looking for work. PPT has long said that Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) has had a poor tax on riders through its cash fare costs– that is, that riders who pay for transit with cash are often very low-income and pay significantly more than other riders for transit.
Astonishingly, the majority of enrollees in the program paid for transit with cash in the week prior to joining the program, with the majority also spending more than $25 a week on transit, higher than the cost of a weekly bus pass.
Other insights from the data dashboard that we noted:
We know this program needs to be expanded, with free fares extended to all SNAP households, permanently. That’s why we’ve made it a central demand in the County Executive primary election, held on Tuesday, May 16th. Check out the candidate responses to PPT’s transit questionnaire here, and vote!
Lastly, here’s a beautiful testimonial from Patrice Aaron about how the program has benefited her and her family, interviewed by PPT member Dean Mougianis:
Primary Election Day is fast approaching on May 16th and there is a lot at stake for public transit riders in the Allegheny County Executive race! The Allegheny County Executive has the most power of any local official when it comes to public transit. They control the majority of the appointments to the PRT board, they control billions of dollars that can expand the zero-fare transit program pilot, and they control a number of other departments and policies that can transform transit for riders.
Pittsburghers for Public Transit has spent the last few months getting to hear from the different County Executive candidates to learn about their transit priorities. 4 candidates joined us for bus ride-alongs to learn about the issues that transit riders are having. 5 candidates submitted responses to our Transit Justice Questionnaire with their transit platform. We promoted the information about the candidates’ transit plans to thousands of transit riders. We’ve canvassed at bus stops. We’ve sent mailers. We’ve held textbanks and phonebanks. And with just a few days left, we can’t stop now!
No one shouldn be forced to choose between buying food or having bus fare. Members of Pittsburghers for Public Transit– along with allies organizing for housing justice, food justice, and worker justice– have made the demand for free fares for years. As a result, we won a 1-year pilot program giving free fares to thousands of low-income riders in the County! Now it’s our opportunity to make the program permanent, and expand zero-fares for all families with SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) in Allegheny County… and the County Executive election is our path to achieve that.
The Allegheny County Executive (ACE) is the most powerful elected position in our region, and has the power to pass policies that support transit riders and transit workers. In addition to appointing over half of the Board at Pittsburgh Regional Transit (formerly Port Authority), the County Executive controls more than a billion dollars in the County budget and can ensure that the temporary Discounted Fares Pilot Program is funded permanently, and expanded to all SNAP households.
Bus fares are not the only thing that the Count Executive can improve. We also need more transit service, safe sidewalks, and bus shelters all throughout the county, and housing that we can afford to live in by transit. You can learn more about where each candidate stands on these critical transit rider issues by checking out this candidate questionnaire that Pittsburghers for Public Transit put together.
Will you sign this petition to help us send a message to all the candidates running for Allegheny County Executive? The time for a zero-fare program for low-income riders is NOW!