PPT’s new Organizing Fellowship in the South Hilltop Communities is building new leaders to grow our movement and win better transit service.
In October, PPT launched a new organizing fellowship in the South Hilltop. With generous help from multiple organizations including the Hilltop Alliance, Brashear Association, Ms. Charlene Saner and Councilman Anthony Coghill’s office, PPT recruited 7 fellows from across the South Hilltop area to explore public transit access, infrastructure, financial barriers, and equitable development.
Examples of these topics include:
- Canvassing in your community to meet riders and build your base,
- Learning about bus shelter and sidewalk expansion and improvement,
- Winning improved service through Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT’s) Bus Line redesign process,
- Enrolling South Hilltop residents into the half-fare program, Allegheny Go, and advocating for a fully free program,
- Zoning/land use relationship connecting access to housing and quality transit.
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Every few weeks we’re publishing interviews with our fellows with our takeaways, which we’ll add here. See all our reportbacks below!
- Opening Sessions: Reportback on Sessions 1-2
- Midway Through: Reportback on Sessions 3-x
- Closing Sessions: Reportback on Sessions x – x
Start of Fellowship: Reportback on Sessions 1-2
7 amazing fellows were recruited in two classroom sessions. The first was an introduction to past and present PPT campaigns with special guest Teaira Collins speaking to winning weekend service on the 93, followed by a brief training on powermapping. Our second classroom session covered transit service, exploring what visionary service could look like with buses that run frequently, are accessible to all riders in the county, and run late and on weekends when we need it. We were able to compare maps of service past and present with former Program Manager of Service Planning and Schedules, Fred Mergner. We talked about the connections that people wish were easier to get to by transit from the Hilltop, including to grocery stores, church service in the Hill District, and family in Hazelwood.
Key Takeaways from the Hilltop Fellowship so far:
- Our newly launched fellowship in the South Hilltop aims to build transit rider power and find ways to advocate for safer, more accessible, and more reliable transit
- Our fellows identified the disconnect between PRT’s planning of service with riders’ lived experiences
- Effective rider advocacy requires overcoming feelings of powerlessness to change civic infrastructure
Read an interview with a fellow on what was learned during these sessions here
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Midway Through: Reportback on Sessions 3-x
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Key Takeaways from the Hilltop Fellowship so far:
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Closing Sessions: Reportback on Sessions x – x
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