Transit Funding

Public transit in Allegheny county is currently funded at the same level as it was in 2005. Despite rising costs and many sacrifices, transit funding has remained flat. For fifteen years, Pennsylvania has needed a sustainable funding solution for public transit but it has yet to find one.

In the summer of 2012, Allegheny County faced a 35% cut in transit service necessitated because of high costs facing the transit system. Thanks to diligent advocacy by GoBurgh and many fellow transit supporters, all parties came to the table to negotiate an agreement that would ensure transit service, at existing levels, for another year. The state and county governments came together with the transit agency and union to buy us time to find a permanent solution. Hard, and in some cases painful, decisions were made to keep us moving and we are all grateful.

The August 2012 agreement to maintain transit in Allegheny County will do so only for a year. What has been achieved is in fact a postponement of inevitable and chronic funding shortages unless we change the way we think about funding transit in this region and state.

Transit YES! will continue to draw attention to the need for long-term transit funding. It will ask the questions: What do we want our transit to be? And how are we going to pay for it?