With Pennsylvania’s budget clock ticking away toward the June 30 deadline, transit advocates are stepping up their push for legislators to make a substantial increase in state subsidy funds to avoid massive service cuts next year.
A group of legislators introduced a package proposal last week that could generate more than $500 million a year for public transit, Gov. Josh Shapiro held another news conference Monday to push his plan for a $292 million increase for the next five years, and Transit for All PA will hold a rally at the Capitol in Harrisburg on Wednesday in an effort to convince wary Republican senators that transit is a statewide issue.
The problem is simple: A 10-year funding package was approved by the Legislature 12 years ago. Transit agencies have gotten by this long without a new bill because the federal Department of Transportation gave agencies across the country billions of dollars to survive during the pandemic, when ridership dropped substantially, but now those funds are running out.
Across the state, transit agencies are projecting serious cuts in service, layoffs and price increases. Pittsburgh Regional Transit is proposing a 10-year budget for approval next month that assumes no additional money and calls for cutting service by 35%, increasing the basic fare by 25 cents to $3, ending service at 11 p.m. and eliminating special service for events like Steelers games and next year’s NFL Draft.
Laura Wiens, executive director of Pittsburghers for Public Transit and part of Transit for All PA, said she expects more than 300 people at the Capitol rally – 100 each from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and 100 more from other parts of the state. The makeup of the crowd and choice of speakers at the rally is deliberate to show transit is an issue everywhere.
Senate Republicans, in particular, have been pushing back against more money for transit without more funding for roads in rural counties. Transit funding is a hard sell to their constituents, they say, because 87% of the transit subsidy goes to support agencies in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
Transit officials and advocates counter that all counties have some form of public transit that needs financial help, and the service may be even more important in those areas because there are few alternatives. Additionally, they have stressed that the billions spent every year in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia help support businesses across the state and create taxes and spending by thousands of employees at the agencies that help support other services in sparsely populated areas.
Since the beginning of the year, Wiens said more than 130,000 letters have been sent to GOP senators to educate them about the importance of transit and the need for more funding.
“We know Republican senators are feeling some pressure,” she said. “I think what we have shown is that our message is only growing stronger.”
Wiens said advocates are “excited” that recommendations included in a white paper issued by Transit for All PA were included in a package of bills introduced last week by state Reps. Aerion Abney, D-North Side, and Jessica Benham, D-South Side. The bills call for raising the state’s car rental fee from $2 to $6.50, increasing the car lease fee from 3% to 5% and charging a 6% excise tax on rides provided by services such as Uber and Lyft.
“Pennsylvanians deserve a public transportation system that is safe, reliable and accessible,” Abney said in a news release. “As significant service cuts are being proposed for our public transit agencies, we’re exploring every possible avenue with legislation like this to secure more dollars and ensure residents can continue getting to where they need to be.”
The package is similar to recommendations from a bipartisan committee that former Gov. Tom Wolf created during his final year in office in 2022 to increase general transportation funding. That effort failed.
“Public transit is a lifeline for our communities,” Benham said in the release. “Our legislative package will provide the necessary funding to keep Allegheny moving, connecting people to work, school and entertainment, while keeping fewer cars on the road. We need our colleagues to recognize the importance of funding transit sufficiently in this budget.”
Shapiro continues to push his proposal to increase the amount of the state sales tax earmarked for transit. That plan – identical to one that failed to win approval last year – would provide about $292 million more each year.
Shapiro and Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll touted the governor’s plan at a news conference Monday with Rabbittransit, the system that serves Dauphin County.
“Just like we repair and maintain the bridges in rural and suburban communities, we owe it to the Pennsylvanians who take mass transit to be there for them and their families, too,” Shapiro said.
“Mass transit drives $5.4 billion in economic activity every year in Pennsylvania, and it enables businesses to affordably get their employees to offices and job sites. It’s well worth the investment in our budget.”
Wiens said she isn’t concerned that legislators will support the governor’s proposal and ignore Transit for All PA’s call for substantially more money.
“That’s a piece of the puzzle,” she said. “It’s that, yes, and what else? No budget is successful unless it meets everybody’s needs.”
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at [email protected].