What a year it’s been! I’m so proud of everything Pittsburghers for Public Transit achieved in 2024, especially given the challenges we faced. And we did it all thanks to our members. That’s PPT’s special sauce: we’re not just a public service organization, we’re a grassroots union of transit riders, workers, and neighbors here in Allegheny County.
When you become a member of PPT, you power our fight for an expanded, affordable, and accessible public transit system that serves all of us, with no communities left behind.
Here are some highlights of our wins over the past year. As you read, remember that YOU are part of the WE that made it happen. In 2024, your membership, activism, and passion have carried PPT through to the finish line.
January-February
- We brought our Representing Our Routes advocacy campaign to our legislators
- We celebrated Transit Equity Day on Feb. 5
- We launched our Community Audit of Bus Shelters
- We created our McKnight Road Safety Petition to demand that PennDOT restore bus stops and improve pedestrian infrastructure on McKnight Road
SHOUTOUT to Jess Benner for combining strategic planning and yoga to help PPT staff stay flexible in our work and our bodies!
March
- We celebrated Transit Worker Appreciation Day on March 18 by canvassing, handing out candy, and gathering stories about service issues
- We won our fight to restart the City of Pittsburgh’s Complete Streets Advisory Group, which the city allowed to lapse in 2019
SHOUTOUT to Alisa Grishman for stellar work with the Complete Streets Advisory Group!
April
- We mobilized 100+ transit riders, workers, and political leaders to rally with us and our partners in the Transit for All PA! Campaign in Harrisburg
- We held a statewide Digital Day of Action on Earth Day on Apr. 22
SHOUTOUTS to Kelda Gorman for delivering an inspirational speech in Harrisburg and Erik Love for bringing 10 activists from Carlisle, PA, to Harrisburg!
May
- We held our first-ever Spring Training for Members which brought activists from around the country together for a day of workshops and skill-building
- We witnessed the rollout of the Allegheny Go low income fares program we’ve spent years advocating for
SHOUTOUTS to Miss Pearl Hughey and her grandchildren for making our Spring Training a success and Miss Sherai Richardson for making a powerful impact in expressing the value of the Allegheny Go program the media and public officials!
June
- We held our Allegheny Go Launch Party at Trace Brewing with 60 of our coalition partners there to celebrate
- We and our partners in Transit for All PA! mobilized our communities to send hundreds of digital lobbying letters that upped the pressure on Governor Shapiro to fund transit
- We partnered with Casa San Jose to host Transit Tours for new residents and show them the routes, despite closures on the Red Line.
SHOUTOUTS to Evelyn Ulysse, Bernadette Mosey, and transit advocates in Beechview for bringing PRT to the table, getting word out to riders, and making these closures go as smoothly as possible!
July
- We held our Summer Member Drive and elected a new Board of Directors.
- We won big when our own Bobbie Fan was appointed to the board of Pittsburgh Regional Transit.
SHOUTOUT to Bobbie Fan for his fearless advocacy for public transit!
August
- We launched our Allegheny County Campaign for Visionary Transit Service, which sets goals for a future transit system that really works for people.
- We held our Summer Party which brought us together and brought in many new members.
SHOUTOUTS to Tayveon Kevin Smith and the incredible team from Tech for Society for help with our Visionary Transit Service Campaign and Denise Johnson for helping to make our Summer Party a success!
September
- We built up to our Week Without Driving by highlighting testimonials, gathering sign-ons, and building relationships with new partner organizations
- We continued our Community Audit of Bus Shelters and Transit Tours for new residents.
SHOUTOUT to Jacob Evangelista and Miss Damitra Harris-Penny for making our Week Without Driving a success and Jim Keener for keeping our website safe and secure!
October
- We held our Week Without Driving from Sept. 30 to Oct. 7
- We launched our PPT Movie Night, with a screening of the film “Union”
- We started organizing our response to PRT’s Busline Redesign
SHOUTOUTS to Seth Bush and the Tech for Society team for helping us make a splash with our Busline Redesign response!
November
- We won $153 million in state funds to save SEPTA (Philly’s public transit system) through our letter-writing and phone-banking campaigns
- We launched our worker organizing fellowship with four fellows: James Hanna, Monica Wheeler, Tom Conroy, and Vincent Brandon
- We overflowed our Zoom limit in our monthly meeting when we hosted PRT representatives to discuss the Busline Redesign
SHOUTOUT to Abishek Vaswanathan for all his work researching bus shelter placements and the Busline Redesign!
December
- We won a first ever budget for bus shelters and transit infrastructure from the City Council
- We convinced Pittsburgh to establish a partner pass program that provides bulk bus passes to municipal employees
- We stood with our partners in the housing justice community to advocate for affordable housing at city government
SHOUTOUT to Bill McDowell for all his activism throughout the year!
These amazing wins are just the start. In 2025, we’re going to advocate for the Visionary Transit Service campaign we developed in August. We’re done with PRT cutting service and driving down ridership while claiming scarcity. It’s time to fund a community vision of what transit can and should be. It’s time to make PRT work for the people.
Join us in this fight! The minimum cost of joining is just $2.75, the same as one ride on PRT. And this year, the Posner Foundation has offered to match every contribution made during our Year End Member Drive up to $10,000. Turn your $100 into $200. Turn your $500 into $1,000!
Ride with us today, and make your donation monthly!