Powerful testimony on Friday, October 27, in the Port Authority Board Room about the consequences of implementing the Bus Rapid Transit plan at the expense of riders on the 61 and 71 buses. Currently the Port Authority is anticipating a 45 % cut in frequency on the 61 buses, and mandatory transfers in Oakland for riders to go downtown, which could cost an additional $1 or $2.75 each way.
For Facebook live video of the testimony, click below, shared by our friends in Just Harvest:
https://www.facebook.com/JustHarvest/videos/10155004352087517/
https://www.facebook.com/JustHarvest/videos/10155004379572517/
Nearly 40% of Braddock commuters take public transit to go to work. This will further disadvantage communities that have been hardest hit by disinvestment and the collapse of the steel industries.
Coverage of the BRT testimony by the Pittsburgh Post Gazette can be found here:
“For some Port Authority customers, the agency’s decision to push for a Bus Rapid Transit system between Oakland and Downtown Pittsburgh is serving the “haves” at the expense of the “have-nots.”
Through a series of neighborhood meetings and last week’s authority board meeting, dozens of Monongahela Valley residents have sharply criticized the agency for an expected reduction in local service and an added transfer in Oakland if they want to travel from their communities to the Downtown area. They view the project as improving service for mostly white, middle-class riders and cutting service for lower-class, mostly black communities that don’t have other transportation options.”
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If you are a resident of Rankin, Duquesne, Braddock, or McKeesport, please take this Port Authority survey so that the Port Authority can implement service that will actually address your transit needs.