May 30 The Future of Western Pennsylvania Hinges on Public Transit Investment
(May 30, 2025)
This Bold Voices blog post was written by one of Allies for Children’s partners about a subject that is relevant to their work as well as ours.
Today’s blog was written by:
Kelsey Shannon. Kelsey serves as the Deputy Chief of Strategic Initiatives at Pittsburgh Regional Transit.
PRT is accepting public comments on its proposed service cuts through Wednesday, June 18, 2025. Click here to share what well-funded public transit means to you.
The stability and future of Western Pennsylvania depend on the health of Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT). A collapse of this system would not only disrupt daily life for tens of thousands of residents but also undermine the region’s economic foundation. Thriving metropolitan areas across the country demonstrate that robust, reliable transit is essential for economic competitiveness, environmental sustainability, social equity and access to education.
Because the state has not created a new transit funding mechanism since 2013 (Act 89, a 10-year solution) and most of PRT funding comes from the state, PRT is facing a severe budget deficit starting July 1, 2025. When Act 89 expired in 2023, the availability of federal stimulus money from the pandemic helped fill the gap. With the expiration of Act 89 and the depletion of federal pandemic relief funds, PRT is left without a viable path forward unless new state funding is secured.
Without immediate and sustained state intervention, PRT will be forced to cut 35% of its service, eliminate 41 bus routes, reduce light rail and paratransit coverage, end service after 11:00 pm, cancel critical infrastructure projects, and raise fares. These cuts would eliminate access to transit for approximately 180,000 residents and 50,000 jobs.
Reductions to PRT service would also have a lasting and deeply disruptive impact on access to K–12 education. A significant number of schools in Allegheny County would no longer be served by reasonable transit access, defined as a stop within a quarter-mile or a five-minute walk. This threshold already represents a minimum standard for accessibility and does not account for critical factors like sidewalk conditions, lighting, or traffic safety. For many students, particularly in low-income and historically underserved neighborhoods, the loss of reliable transit could mean longer, more dangerous, or entirely unwalkable commutes.
PRT has already made significant efforts to reduce costs and increase efficiency. This includes closing its Harmar garage, reducing service by 40%, enacting a four-year wage freeze, and more. PRT has pruned all the branches and trimmed the leaves. Now, PRT is at a point where further cuts would mean chopping down the trunk itself, which is essential for its survival. There is nothing left to cut from the budget but core functions that keep the system running. This is unacceptable. Allegheny County deserves a better and more robust transit system.
PRT needs a $117 million infusion of state funding beginning FY2026 – with compounding annual increases – to cover expenses, account for rising costs and support current service levels over the next decade. This $117 million would only maintain the system as is, but let’s be clear: the region deserves more than status quo service, and anything less would devastate riders and non-riders alike.
Failing to act is not a neutral decision – it is a choice to allow Pittsburgh’s economic engine to stall and a statement that the people of Allegheny County don’t deserve adequate public transit. This situation risks triggering a transit funding death spiral, a vicious cycle where service cuts lead to declining ridership, which in turn reduces fare revenue and public support, prompting further cuts. As service becomes less reliable and less frequent, more riders abandon the system, accelerating its financial decline. If Harrisburg does not deliver a sustainable funding solution, the consequences will ripple far beyond Allegheny County, threatening the vitality of the entire region.
Governor Josh Shapiro has proposed an additional $40 million annually for PRT as part of a broader $292 million statewide transit package. However, this falls short of what is needed to maintain current service levels. PRT has met with state legislators to advocate directly for long-term, sustainable transit funding to protect our service and avoid drastic fare hikes and service cuts – but we cannot do this alone. We need you to contact your state legislators and let them know how crucial transit is for the future of our region and for you.
Click here to find your PA state legislators.
Read Allies for Children’s Previous coverage on school transportation challenges: We Need to Rethink School Transportation in Allegheny County