This December, PPT is launching a brand-new monthly Bus Canvass Program: a way for members to connect with community, talk with transit riders about the most urgent issues facing transit in Allegheny County, and share valuable ways for riders to join the movement.
This new monthly event series is casual, and all experience levels are welcome. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a completely new canvasser, there is a place here for you to build skill, practice, and build a more informed, powerful network of transit riders, all organizing for the transit system we deserve.
What to expect
- Training and practice will take place at the beginning of each event.
- Small groups of canvassers will be led by an experienced Canvass Lead to various bus stops in the downtown area.
- Bus rides and bus stops are where canvassing will take place. Canvassers will ride the bus for about 30 minutes outbound, then return back downtown.
- Social hour afterwards will serve as the space to debrief, compare notes and connect with one another.
Why canvassing, why now?
For the first time in decades, Pennsylvania has a unified state government—and the door is finally open for the transformative investment that transit riders need. It’s now possible to win the bold, comprehensive plan that will fix transit funding for PRT and all of PA’s transit systems. But transit riders will only win what they band together to fight for.
That’s why now is the moment for transit riders to meet each other, share information, and tell state decisionmakers just how critical the need for investment is.
Our first mission? Making public transit a top priority for Governor Shapiro! If we want to restore and expand transit service across the Commonwealth, we need all hands on deck.
How we got here
As the summer faded into early autumn, a handful of PPT leaders packed their clip boards, practiced their organizing conversations, and got on the bus. They were piloting PPT’s first-ever Bus Captain Program.
Members participated in weekly bus canvasses on their own and with one another. They spoke to operators and transit riders, sharing general information about PPT, gaining an understanding for how riders feel about their commutes and spreading the word about the PRT’s Bus Line Refresh final draft.
The goals for this pilot program were to:
- Build relationships and trust among riders and operators
- Stay connected to what’s happening on different transit routes
- Build a rapid-response network of transit rider leaders
- Create more opportunities to organize in-person
This pilot enabled PPT to test out new canvassing tools, gain new contacts, and reach riders on bus lines being severely impacted by the Bus Line Refresh 3.0 draft, riders who otherwise would not have known about it. One of the most important outcomes from the Bus Captain pilot was PPT members leveling up their organizing skills and taking the next step in their leadership development.
This new monthly event series will maintain the goals of the Bus Captain Program, adding the support of going out regularly with other canvassers, allowing for skill building through practice.