Port Authority's Board approves new round of cuts and fare hikes as a result of budget woes, funding crisis

             Port Authority's Board approved record service cuts this morning. The service cuts, along with a fare increase in July, are for now the only solution to a $64 million budget shortfall in the Port Authority's operating budget. As we all know, the Agency cannot run a deficit budget, so each time there is a budget deficit and no other solution, it has to cut service hours in order to be able to balance its budget. Unless the Port Authority, the state, and local governments find a solution to the agency's budget shortfall, the 35% service cuts will become reality on September 2.  

The pink area on this map represents the area where ACCESS
service will be cut. (map by M.Sypolt @TransitGuru)

The reality of the service cuts in numbers:

• 46 of  Port Authority's 102 routes will be eliminated
• 40,000 rides will be lost, leaving thousands  of riders stranded
• ACCESS coverage will be significantly reduced
• 600 lost jobs
• 18 park and rides will no longer be served
• no service past 10 p.m. (with the exception of very few routes )

More than half of Port Authority's funding comes from the state. PA Governor Tom Corbett was expected to come up with a legislative solution providing the comprehensive, dedicated funding the Agency needs in order to cover its budget shortfall and eventually, grow service in the region. But Governor Corbett has yet to take a position on the recommendations to funding transportation proposed by the Transportation Funding Advisory Commission (TFAC), which Corbett himself appointed last year. A state-wide solution is needed to pay for badly needed repairs to bridges and roads, as well as ongoing costs to provide mass transit service in the dozens of Pennsylvania's public transit systems. The TFAC's several recommendations for funding solutions for transit have largely been ignored.

In an interview with KDKA's Political Editor Joe Delano, yesterday evening, Governor Corbett stated that in order for the state government to step up with a funding solution for the Port Authority : "...they have to take a look at where they are spending and, as I said, they have to sit down and talk to the unions.”.

Pat McMahon, ATU85's president said this morning that the union is willing to negotiate concessions, but not before the state government comes up with an explicit funding solution. He noted that the union offered concessions before based on a promised funding solution from the state and it was the state that failed to come through with a comprehensive, dedicated funding solution for public transit in Pittsburgh. (As a reminder: The former legislative solution at the state level, Act 44 of 2007, failed to provide the necessary funds for the transportation budget when the Federal Government blocked the tolling of I-80).

It looks like Governor Corbett and ATU85 are at a roadblock right now in their efforts to stop the service cuts, but at least McMahon did not lose his sense of humor as he noted that unions are not "ATMs who can be wrung for more cash every time politicians fail to live up to their responsibilities." Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh region stands to lose a lot more than its sense of humor if the service cuts take effect in September and, as Port Authority CEO Steve Bland noted, the Board decision is reversible but the impact of the cuts on the region is not. Steve Bland also pointed out that the only missing piece from the "puzzle", a solution to Port Authority's operating budget shortfall, is a state funding solution. 

This blog post was made possible by the tweet-contributions of Lauren Daley (@lndaley) and Jon Schmitz (@pgtraffic). Read their pieces on today's Port Authority Board decision on the City Paper's website : "Port Authority approves transit cuts...hopes to reverse itself" and respectively, the Pittsburgh  Post-Gazette: "Port Authority board approves deep cuts".

March 2012 News and Updates

After many years of debate and construction work, the light rail connection to the North Shore opened to the public. Transit fans and North Shore commuters were able to take the first ride on March 25th, around 5 am.
Several ACTC members were present  during the inaugural opening on March 23rd and boarded the first ride on the Tplus.



Photo: Stuart Strickland

The Tplus (formerly known as the North Shore Connector) connects downtown with businesses and points of attraction such as the Children Museum, CarnegieScience Center, the Casino and PNC Park. More about it  on the TPlus website.


A new radio program  covering Pittsburgh transit - only  a two part series for now - produced and hosted by Daniel Tkacik, Ellis Robinson, and Kevin Brown. They  are part-time radio producers and full-time Ph.D. students at Carnegie Mellon University. The first series featured ACTC member Michael Sypolt as a speaker. To listen to the program and find more info about the producers as well as other radio shows they are hosting  visit : Transit Radio PGH.


ACTC president Jim Robinson spoke on the transit funding crisis on KDKA radio, Robert Mangino weeknights . To listen to the program visit  CBS Local Transit Council Talks Cuts.

Testimony at the Port Authority Hearing 2/29 (II)

The following testimony was given by Josh Savage, a young prospective member of ACTC who is also the current treasurer of the Millvale Borough Development Corporation – representing Millvale residents seeking to “stabilize, revitalize and rejuvenate Millvale’s neighborhoods, through the development of housing, businesses and skills of individuals.”

"Good afternoon and thank you for allowing me this time to speak,

My name is Josh Savage and I am the Treasurer for the Millvale Borough Development Corporation as well as a frequent rider of the 2 Mt. Royal, 1 Freeport Rd, G2 west Busway, and 29 Robinson.

Having a strong Public Transportation network is essential to having a strong economy. Without the above listed buses I would have no way to get to work as I have neither the inclination nor the financial assets to buy a car. These circumstances are not unique to me; if the buses that service the suburbs and outlying areas are terminated then thousands of people will be unable to get to work.

Not only will this negatively impact existing jobs and businesses but it will stymie the growth of future businesses and jobs in not only the surrounding areas but also downtown. If you were a business owner would you open up a location in an area you knew people would have a hard time getting to? I brought up this issue at a board meeting for the MBDC last month and one of our members asked what was the point of doing all this work to attract people to our community if they wouldn't be able to get here. Millvale is fortunate in the fact that we are close to downtown and can walk or bike there if need be but what about Glenshaw, or the people in Ambridge?

Many people say that the buses do not matter and people will simply buy cars and get around that way. Can you imagine what the already congested roadways would look like if you added another 2,000 cars to the mix let alone 20,000? Not to mention the devastating effect that increase in traffic would have on not only our already overburdened infrastructure but also our air quality.

PennDOT has already been scheduled to spend $306 million on road projects this year in our part of the state; now imagine that amount doubling. How much do you think people will like driving when the road is packed with even more potholes and car accidents increase? This will lead to an increase in insurance premiums, the cost of gas, and car maintenance fees. This in turn will result in people having even less money to inject into the economy. So tell me, how can you have a thriving and diverse economy if the majority of a person’s income is going into their car?

I understand that these reductions in service are not entirely the fault of the Port Authority. However, it is not simply a result of the state government not giving you enough money. The bus system is viewed as unreliable by many people. I myself have experienced buses coming either 12 minutes early, 12 minutes late, or sometimes never coming at all. I understand that sometimes outside factors such as traffic or breakdowns cause these problems but steps need to be taken to increase reliability and timeliness. If you fix these problems more people will use the bus and your revenues will go up."

Testimony at the Port Authority Hearing 2/29 (I)

Several community leaders, ACTC members, public transit advocates, activits and many ordinary citizens had braved the bad weather last Wednesday 2/29 and came to testify in front of the Port Authorty Board. Some spoke about their transit needs, but most addressed the needs of their communities and the needs of the whole urban region.

Because we feel there is a need for a broader audience to hear the point of views expressed at the hearing we will try to publish a few testimonies as well as links to the articles covering the hearing.


We shall start with an excerpt from our vice-president's speech , Stu Strickland :

"Honorable members of the Board, and Mr. Bland, good afternoon, I am Stuart Strickland, from McCandless Township, a regular rider of the O12 McKnight Flyer, 12 McKnight and soon to be cut 2 Mount Royal bus routes. I already lost my Perry Highway routes in the 2011 service cuts and so walk most of a mile each way to get a bus every day.

As every properly informed person in the room knows, PAT didn’t cause this problem, state government did, through its persistent refusal to accept that public transportation does require tax subsidy to run properly. As every properly informed politician knows, spending money on public transit actually earns money for the state in allowing the wheels of commerce to turn efficiently in the denser urban areas that generate most of the state’s revenues. But the misinformed and willfully ignorant are in power at the moment, so here we are."

... read more on his blog Anything but the Car.

Public Transit is beneficial to us all - regardless of income

We are glad to note that more and more people - young educated professionals - are coming forward with their stories as public transit riders. Because stories such as the one shared by Andrew Fournaridis with us (via the Post-Gazette) are changing the conversation around public transportation and Port Authority's funding crisis.We are long used to think that public transportation is some type of social service that benefits only those people with disabilities or in the lowest income brackets. When in fact it is used by most of us - regardless of income, social background or race - and it is beneficial to the whole Pittsburgh region.

"Third and most important, many seem to view public transit as a social program. This couldn't be further from the truth. My wife and I are both 26-year-old working professionals with several educational degrees between us. Public transit is a convenient, affordable and safe way to commute to work and experience the city."


From a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Letter to the Editor

Massive transit cuts ahead. Again?!

As our readers will recall, about a year ago we had posted the news about 15% service cut that became effective March 2011: The Board of Port Authority approves 15% cuts for March 2011 We also explained the reasons why Port Authority's Board decided to approve the service cuts - and, if you recall, the main reason was the agency's decision to apply only part of the funds provided by former governor Ed Rendell to cover the 47 million budget deficit for FY 2010. The Board approved the Agency's decision to use the rest of the money in order to cover the deficit for FY 2011 (June 2011-June 2012),  hoping that after a year in office newly elected Governor Tom Corbett would be able to come up with a legislative solution for the transportation funding issues in Pennsylvania in general, and Port Authority's funding issues in particular.

But where does Governor Corbett stand on transportation funding issues? The problem is that Governor Tom Corbett so far has said little about transportation funding. In fact, he stated "that a new transportation bill is not a top priority for his administration this year"(2011, Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11294/1183824-100.stm#ixzz1k1Iovl9B)

New cuts, fare increases announced January 18th

Meantime, the Port Authority announced on January 18th a new round of massive service cuts come September 2012 due to a 64 million budget shortfall for FY 2012. The projected cuts will impact 35% of the current service provide by the Agency. Out of its current 102 routes, 46 will be eliminated and the rest will  face service reductions. This time around, the service cuts will impact the ACCESS service which is designed to provide transportation for people with disabilities.

If you want to find out more about the projected cuts and how service will be affected in your area , the Port Authority provides a comprehensive list of its projection on its Service Reduction page.

At this point, however, it is important to stress that these service cuts and fare increases are only in a proposal stage. And most importantly, we may avoid facing service cuts and fare increases again, if a dedicated funding source is found for the Agency's Operational Budget.

One way to tackle the budget deficit is to deal with the "legacy costs" such as pensions and retiree healthcare. We do expect new contract negotiations to start as early as January and we do anticipate that the Port Authority will ask for union concessions as part of the negotiations. However as positive as union concessions may be in finding  a solution to the budget deficit, they are not going to stop the decline in the Agency's ability to provide a comprehensive service in the area.

In a Q&A session that took place during the ACTC's General Meeting on January18, the Agency's Government Affairs Representative, Dan DeBone, noted that in order to stop the projected service cuts the "biggest impact will be made by funding and not by union concessions". 


About a funding solution

"Activists and the Port Authority, meanwhile, are trying to garner support for a package of bills from state Reps. Mike Hanna (D-Clinton/Centre) and Dan Frankel (D-Squirrel Hill). The bills offer several funding suggestions, many similar to those in a report made by Corbett's Transportation Funding Advisory Committee in August.

Frankel's bill would, among other things, grant mass-transit systems the entire $450 million annual payment that the PA Turnpike Commission makes to the state. Frankel also seeks to increase transit's share of state sales-tax revenue, from 4.4 percent to 6.4 percent of the annual take" notes Lauren Daley from the City Paper in her most recent article: Bumpy Ride: Port Authority getting set for massive service cuts, rate hikes. Miss Daley, a seasoned reporter when it comes to public transit, echoes the statements made by Allegheny County's Executive, Rich Fitzgerald and House State Rep. Dan Frankel (D-Squirrel Hill) during their 1/19/2012 press conference.

Eleven democrat legislators from the area rallied yesterday beyond County Executive Rich Fitzgerald for a press conference devoted to the support of Frankel's bill. The bill focuses not only on funding public transit, but also on funding for transportation/ infrastructure development meant to create jobs in the area and revitalize Pennsylvania's economy.  "This bills create jobs. Good paying jobs," stated Rep. Frankel yesterday.

One major problem Democrat legislators will face as they are trying to pass these bills is getting the support of their Republican colleagues. And, as Mr. DeBone noted during the Q&A session on 1/18, even though there are Republican legislators who are willing to support these bills, none is willing to step up as long as Governor Corbett does not take a clear position on transportation funding. The same issue was noted by the Democrat legislators present at the press conference called by County Executive Fitzgerald yesterday: most of their Republican colleagues will not stand beyond any legislative initiative regarding transportation until Governor Corbett clearly states his position.

This is why, when it comes to find a solution for Port Authority's funding woes and to stop more service cuts from taking place, we have to return to the same question: Where does Governor Corbett stand on the transportation funding issues?

We want to thank Lauren Daley from the City Paper for her valuable coverage of public transportation issues, Chris Sandvig from the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group for his support and tweets covering yesterday's press conference, and all the Post-Gazette reporters covering transit related news and articles.

TFAC to propose toll revenues as source for transit funding

The Transportation Funding Advisory Commission plans to present its final proposal on how to deal with Pennsylvania’s $3.5 billion transportation budget deficit. As part of the proposal, there is an increase of funding to mass transit by at least $450 million annually.


One of the suggested resources for funding transiting: redirecting all revenues from the PA turnpike towards transit. Currently , from the $450 million collected annually from Turnpike tolls only $250 million goes to mass transit and $200 million is used for the highway fund. The Transportation Funding Advisory Commission proposed to use the entire revenue to fund transit, while the lost revenue for highways would be replaced from other funding sources.

“HARRISBURG — The state transportation funding commission will recommend
redirecting a portion of turnpike toll revenue to the state's highway and mass
transit funds."It would not be a change in the total money that the turnpike is
obligated to pay," said Barry Schoch, the state Secretary of Transportation and
commission chairman. "But I think the intent here is to say, 'Let's use more of
that available turnpike money for transit rather than for highways.'"

Read more in the Daily Local News: “Commission to push for tolls to fund mass transit” by Eric Boehm, PA Independent.

The RedTape Chronicles : In Pittsburgh, drastic bus service cuts strand commuters

"One downtown office building security guard I interviewed said he works
from 4 p.m. to midnight, and the service cuts eliminated the 12:20 bus -- the
last bus.
“I don’t know why they didn’t cut a bus in the middle of the day
that no one would notice,” he said. “Losing that last bus really hurt.” He
said he knows some employees who’ve had to quit.

For him, taking a taxi home at night adds $200 to his monthly transit
costs, a significant bite out of his salary. He couldn't afford to lose the job,
however, which is why he requested anonymity.
Driving isn't such a great option either. Pittsburghers just trying to get to work feel like they're being hit on all sides by city and county governments that seem to have an insatiable appetite for new fees. Prices at city-operated parking garages
have doubled in recent years. Sidewalk meter rates jumped 100 percent,
too-- a quarter now only gets you seven minutes. Meanwhile, stickers hastily
placed on parking signs all over town antagonize drivers further, announcing
meter enforcement now runs until 10 p.m., four hours earlier than the old 6
p.m. cutoff. And parking ticket enforcement agents
are everywhere."

Read more of Bob Sullivan's article and Jon Robison's interview on MSNBC's Red Tape :http://redtape.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/06/21/6903901-in-pittsburgh-drastic-bus-service-cuts-strand-commuters

Finally Something We Can Do about Transit Funding

We all know the Port Authority doesn’t have the funding needed for adequate service. We’ve been complaining about that for months – for years.
Finally, something has happened in Harrisburg which may be a step to solving the problem of adequate funding statewide, for bridges and roads as well as public transportation. Now we can DO something.

Governor Corbett has created a Transportation Funding Advisory Commission that is supposed to put forward a solution to the transportation funding problem by the end of July.
We have been told that it would be helpful for individuals to contact this commission and encourage them to do the job – to recommend a real solution to Pennsylvania’s transportation funding problem. A real solution includes funding for PAAC that is dedicated, inflation-responsive, and adequate. ‘Adequate’ means enough money to make it possible to restore the system recommended by PAAC’s TDP, before the 15% cut.


Please send an e-mail to the Transportation Funding Advisory Commission, TFAC@state.pa.us. We suggest that you e-mail a copy to Ken Zapinsky, kzapinski@alleghenyconference.org, who is knowledgeable and sympathetic and represents Dennis Yablonsky of the Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce on the Commission. Please cc us as well actransitcouncil@gmail.com. This could be a real step for the Port Authority of Allegheny County to get the essential funds by early 2012.

Let’s do what we can. Keep hope alive. Keep transit alive.

Any real solution will need active support for implementation. I think that all we can do now is be ready to give active support for a real solution to the funding problem. But please send an e-mail of encouragement to TFAC@state.pa.us today.

Jonathan Robison, President, Allegheny County Transit Council

Public Transportation Solutions for Pittsburgh

Saturday, April 9th, several Allegheny County Transit Council members participated in an interesting open table discussion within the frame of the Solutions Festival organized by Coro Pittsburgh. The participating members were Jon Robison, Ana Bayne, Michael Sypolt and Stu Strickland.

The Coro Center for Civic Leadership is a national non-profit organization that prepares young people for civic leadership as part of its own fellowship program as well as in collaboration with Americorps’ Public Allies.

The event brought together citizens of Allegheny County who were asked to address issues such as demographics, water quality, pensions and transportation and present their solutions to a group of elected officials. The ACTC members were asked, of course, to participate in the transportation group and our tasks was by no means easy since we had to present short term solutions for the financial issues troubling Public Transportation in Allegheny County. The problems leading to Port Authority’s current financial troubles and recent 15% service cuts were on 1. one side the lack of dedicated funding and 2. on the other legacy costs, i.e. those costs due to previous bad management and investments and previous union contacts. Most of the solutions discussed were focused on increasing funding by increasing ridership as well as state and local funding.

The issue to be addressed when the goal is to increase ridership is: how to provide better access. Better access implies more park and ride options, sidewalks as well as technology solutions.

When the goal became to identify more public funding sources the solutions were split between new state resources such as a Vehicle Mileage Tax and a new local resources such as a tax on land ownership. However, most members of the discussion group agreed that the best would be to convene to an open discussion table as many stakeholders in the public transportation issue as possible for an initial round of comprehensive discussions and realistic solutions. This solution was also stressed in his final presentation by the CORO fellow who acted as an observer – Tosin Abgabiaka. Among the stakeholders that were identified during the discussion:

The Port Authority

The City of Pittsburgh

Allegheny County Council

The Downtown Partnership

Riders through their representatives:

Pittsburghers for Public Transportation

Allegheny County Transit Council

Several major Pittsburgh Universities

ATU 85

Transit Service Cuts (2) - March 27th was Yesterday

Now that the Port Authority service cuts we had hoped to avoid have become reality, it does not mean that there is no longer a place for a riders' advocacy group such as the Allegheny County Transit Council. It shouldn’t mean that we are the only rider advocacy group in Allegheny County either. What changed is that we are now determined to work towards restoring the lost service and improving transit service in the region while doing so. Transit is a must-have for the 21st century metropolis. So, if Pittsburgh is hoping to grow as an urban area, as a social city that makes the “most livable” top year after year in magazines and newspapers, it cannot afford to lose its transit and its riders. Concrete Steps : 1. The first step one of our members took was to develop an alternative map/timetable for Mon Valley riders whose lost service is partially replaced through the WorkLink Initiative. Also, new timetables for East Busway riders who lost early/late EBA and EBS service. Michael Sypolt is a young architect, map expert and transit system design enthusiast strongly appreciated by his peers. We strongly suggest that you follow his blog as he will continue to post updates on his work on alternative routes and options for stranded riders. 2.On this blog we will continue to post updates on our work within the community. Our general meeting schedule and soon, the minutes from these meetings, will be found on our Facebook Page.

Transit Service Cuts: March 27 is Tomorrow

Update: March 28 2011 - Negotiations failed. First weekday in Pittsburgh after the 15% service cuts…

In a final attempt to prevent the March 27th service cut and the layoff of about 180 Port Authority employees, local ATU-85 put an unexpected offer on the table: a $18.6 million concession resulting from employees accepting a 10 percent pay cut as well as a one year salary freeze. Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato countered with two proposals of his own

“Mr. Onorato's proposals use the mixture of union concessions and new revenue to boost the authority's financial position by about $30 million a year”

Read more: Pittsburgh Post Gazette A final decision is expected today at 3pm when the Port Authority Board will meet again to evaluate all proposals. Where are we, the riders, in these negotiations? Stu Strickland draws an illustrative parallel between riders and the balls used in a football game on his blog:

“In public transit, riders are the ball. Nobody cares about the riders, really. We're kicked and pushed around just like the football. How different a football game would be if, instead of a leather ball, it was played with a pot of soup. Carry that soup pot and jump on it all you want, but don't spill the soup! "


"However, there are really three sides to a football game: Officials! Officials, in this case our elected representatives, really decide what happens. They don't so much spill the soup as spoil the soup. "No you can't add ingredients." "Yes, you must add paprika and I don't care if you hate paprika." Right now they're saying, "No, you can't plug in the burner under the pot."

And we as riders do agree with his final statement : "Enough already! We riders want our soup. We do not want it spilled. We do not want it spoiled. Figure it out! Don't spill our soup!”

March 27th is this Sunday

Starting this Sunday, March 27th, Pittsburgh transit riders will have considerably less transportation options. Twenty-nine routes will be eliminated and weekday service will be significantly reduced on 37 additional routes in order to balance Port Authority’s budget shortfall.

More information on affected routes can be found on Port Authority’s Website. Also information on ways around the cuts on Michael Sypolt’s blog.

Other alternatives are provided by community based transportation services such as WorkLink, carpools and vanpools : CommuteInfo.

Even if your bus service will be gone this Sunday , do not give up the fight – Port Authority promised that it will restore service if it can secure better funding.

To write your representative: KeepPGHMoving

To tell your story, join us on Facebook and participate in our discussion

To tell your story ”live”, come to talk to  someone from ATU85, ACTC  or Pittsburghers for Public Transit tomorrow starting  11am to Friday, March25th at 11am. We will find them in front of Port Authority’s headquarters - 6th St. and Smithfield Ave. in Pittsburgh.

Allegheny County Transit Council opposed any cuts in transit service

A motion to "oppose the planned March 27th transit cuts “ passed during the General Meeting that took place on March 16th. This entails that ACTC suggests that the Port Authority shall consider other solutions to the budget shortfall/funding issue than cutting service by 15% on March 27. The motion did not specify, however, what alternatives are to be considered by the Port Authority.


Another proposed motion failed. The motion proposed that ACTC shall “oppose Lenzner Coach Lines from providing bus service from Franklin Park and Marshall Twp to Downtown” on the former 13J and 13K routes that are eliminated come March 27. As Stu Strickland noted during the discussion preceding the vote riders on 13G and 13J already expressed their position – some service is better than none, and it is our role to present their needs to the Port Authority.


To note that routes 13J and 13K were not eliminated due to lack of ridership but because of high costs. For example the closest Port Authority garage –the Harmar Garage- is located 23 miles from Franklin Park and about 18 miles away from Marshall. The fare box revenues - at $3.25 per trip - are not enough to cover the cost of the 17-20 mile trip from the departing station to downtown Pittsburgh . And Port Authority has to add to the actual trip costs the additional expense of running an empty bus for at least 18 miles one way from its garage to the park and ride stations.


Lenzner Coach Lines, a private bus service provider, jumped on the opportunity and submitted a plan for bus service on the 13K and 13 J routes. Located strategically in Sewickley, PA - only 4 miles away from Franklin Park and about 10 miles from the Marshal Twp Park and Ride – Lenzner has the ability to offer bus service on these routes at much lower costs for idle times. Lenzner is also going to charge about $10 for a round trip and require registration before bus could be boarded. Standing passengers will not be allowed and there will be no reduced rates for senior or disabled citizens.

Read more:

News about Lenzner proposal here: Port Authority Panel OK’s private service

A comprehensive, very recent article on Port Authority’s funding issues and the position Allegheny County’s Council took with respect to the planned 15% cuts by LaurenDaley : In Transition: The Allegheny County Port Authority is Changing – into what is the question


Also latest news on the County Council's plans to reduce funding.

March 27 Service Changes & Potential Alternatives via TransitGuru

Port Authority recently released changes to the routes scheduled for March 27, 2011. While Port Authority did their best to minimize damage, these changes are a net 15% reduction in service hours from current service and some areas do have major reductions or route eliminations. This post will summarize the changes and show alternatives where applicable. While it may be more difficult, I believe many alternatives are valid alternatives that would be doable for a majority of people affected by the reductions. Nonetheless, this situation is not ideal and you should contact your legislators and governor. The idea of the Transit Development Plan (TDP) was to match ridership demand with existing service hours. While nearly all routes will assume TDP route numbers and names, this round of service changes is not the best way to serve the region due to the reduced service levels due to reduced funding. Port Authority is discussing with elected officials and hopes this would be a temporary measure until dedicated, growing, and sustainable funding is secure. I encourage you to do the same and express your concerns. Be specific and explain why you need your bus route, evening or weekend service and that you support a sustainable, growing, and predicable funding stream for Port Authority.

This list will be a route by route summary of what will be happening regarding the March service changes. Italic text shows an alternative means to access an area where a route has been discontinued or reduced. It will also be noted if any of the alternative transportation options are not open to the public and only serves a segment of riders (such as employees, etc.). The reason I wanted to write this is to not only help riders to find alternatives to getting to locations where service is impacted, but also to encourage support for our transit system among our choice riders, despite service reductions due to the transit funding crisis. Hopefully as people are aware of the importance of our transit system, more will want increased funding so that Port Authority (and other transit agencies in the state) can reverse these cuts and even plan for expansion beyond the full Transit Development Plan.

Read the details here.

Four must-read blog posts about transit

One month and a few days before the projected 15% transit service cuts on March 27^th – one organization that does not get much love from riders nowadays is the local ATU 85. ACTC member Stu Strickland explains on his blog “Why there is no love for ATU 85”.

Also from Stu’s blog a post written  a while ago but very actual:

186 ways to live with only one car.

“I may change the title of this later; I only picked "186" out of the air; when I first posted this there were only two. My point is, so many people feel they have to have two, three, four, more cars in their possession. And for 12 or more years, my family of four in the middle to outer suburbs has lived with just one car.The bone I wish to pick is that people bad-mouth public transportation, and would gladly fork over $5,000 a year or more, per car, to keep the additional car(s) on the road, while the cost of buying monthly passes (in Pittsburgh) runs well under $1,000 a year. I don't deny you need one car, especially in the suburbs, but if I can make do with only one, I don't see the necessity of having three or more. And I myself used to have four, for a three-year period, and three for over a decade.”

And nowadays he is far from being alone. Michigan University’s Susan Zielinski was recently quoted on twitter as stating that :  “having to own 5 cars is so last millennium!”.  A study quoted by the Infrastructurist indicates that:

“Over the years, car ownership and driving mileage have tended to increase with great regularity. But logic suggests that this march toward complete motorization would eventually plateau — and that’s exactly what transportation scholars have begun to notice…”

This is why, last but not least I’d like to point out  a post by Graham Brownstein  “Top 10 Reasons to Invest in Tansit”  ( via  @TRanspo_Issues on twitter.)

 

Pittsburgh Transit: Headed Where?/ February Updates

Update:

The bus schedules effective March 27th as a result of a 15% cut in service are now posted on the Port Authority's Website: March  27 Service Changes.



Monday, February 14th, President Obama released a new six-year transportation plan [PDF] . One of the highlights of this new plan is a 127% increase for transit funding that aims to reduce the gap between the percentage of funds going for highway and road development, 80% now, a meager 20% for transit. Under the newly proposed plan highways will only receive 74% of funds.

Meantime transit agencies across the country struggle to find the funding resources that will allow them to survive during the next fiscal year. And this is no news for Port Authority riders who are facing the loss of more than one sixth of the service come March. As a matter of fact, Pittsburghers rallied the day after President Obama’s release of the new transportation plan to protest service cuts.

Photo Credit: Lauren Daley

Since transit is an essential feature in the economic development of 21st century urban centers (and this is a topic we had covered here), members of the Allegheny County Transit Council became involved in several projects aimed at not only preserving but improving transit service for Pittsburgh and surrounding urban areas.

Real-Time Bus Schedules:
Real-Time Bus Schedules use data provided by local governments and transit agencies to keep riders informed of delays, detours, and traffic and trip connections. ACTC members Ana Bayne and Michael Sypolt took part in a live chat session where guest Nick Grossman from Open Plans discussed the benefits of real-time bus schedules and the success of the project among MTA riders. Several ACTC members will meet with Mr. Grossman and other developers to discuss real-time schedule related technology during the March East TranspoCamp unconference.


Tiramisu:
On the upside, before the whole GPS issue is clarified, CMU’s transportation project team Traffic 21 is in the last stages of launching a smart phone app that provides real time information to riders by using crowdsourcing, i.e., data collected from riders. Thanks to ACTC member Noelle Badertscher we will be able to return with more details on the app as soon as March. Until then you can check the Traffic 21 website for updates.

Soon transit riders from Pittsburgh will know whatever their bus is late or not or if they should take an early bus because of bad weather or traffic conditions.


Funding:

ACTC members are working on proposals for funding resources with several other community oriented non-profits. Also, by the end of February, a comprehensive map that provides information on service cuts for each electoral district will be available on: http://www.publictransitguide.info/

The map allows riders to compare the effect of service cuts on their own electoral district and take the matter into their own hands by contacting their local representative.

From a Sept. 2008 email: Privatization is coming

I came across this email I sent to someone on ACTC on September 18, 2008. With trivial modifications, I share it with the world, as it contains several still salient points.

Re: Mustio/Turzai on transit costs

How to pronounce Mark Mustio's name: Like "musty odor" without the final "der" sound. Weird, but it works.

Mike Turzai, who's my State Rep, represents Bradford Woods, but the district includes McCandless. In fact, his office is in McCandless, barely a mile from my house. It's right next door to Northland Library, an easy walk from an 11C ride (assuming you can GET to an 11C, which takes an 11D or 500 ride during the day), or a LONG walk from a 12A, about a mile and a quarter along Cumberland Road, headed west from McKnight. Hillvue Lane is the road going up into the back entrance of Northland, a block south of Cumberland. CCAC North is another quarter mile south on Perry Highway.

The two of them are cooking up a plan to de-monopolize transit in Allegheny County. As you described it, you're right, routes like the 51C, the EBA, the 61C, probably the 13A, would be kept, since ridership is high. Cross towns and lesser routes simply won't be kept, which will strand a bunch of people. Routes like the 6C do OK in ridership, but don't pack the buses, and so do not make much money. 11C the same. It's been cut way back since I moved out here.

What these guys don't realize is that, unlike what they're saying, Port Authority's spending is NOT out of control. Well, let me clarify that. What costs they CAN control are NOT out of control. Costs they CANNOT control ARE out of control: Fuel. Health care. Past commitments to future pension contributions. Those concepts do not make for good headlines, but they are reality. Those headlines especially do not sell to the Trib's/KQV's fan base.

Of course, what I've been saying (and saying and saying and getting tired of saying but I gotta keep saying it) is two things. First, that if you can get 50,000 warm bodies to buy fare and ride the system every day, who are not doing that now, the spending deficits go away. Of course some costs will have to go up as a result of putting more buses out there to meet demand, but that will actually make the system easier to use since transfers will be shorter and headways will decrease, each of which in turn will cause more people to want to use the system. The system grows itself. This is all accomplished by making the system easier to figure out how to use.

Which brings me to the second point. This is done by spending money on software and technology. That money is not being spent now, anywhere near as much as it needs to be, and what was spent years ago is being wasted because there isn't anyone available to administer that technology because they've all been laid off. Web site improvements, for instance. Delays in getting new fareboxes in place. We've had GPS on the buses for eight years but still cannot track where the buses are, because that part of the package was not purchased (it was off-the-shelf stuff in 1999) and there's nobody in the I.T. department who can implement it even if we had it now. If we had that piece, you could check on your cell phone to see if the bus you're trying to catch has already passed you or not. All of that is 1997 technology, and we're NOWHERE near getting it, because all we want to do is cut the system. Chopping it into pieces will make it all that much more difficult to implement even if we do get the money and the manpower.

Short version of the above rant: Trash the Mustio/Turzai idea.

Stu

News and Updates. January 2011

service cuts
On Wednesday January 12, Port Authority’s Board of Directors approved a 15% service cut starting with March 27th, 2011. Even though it will have a less disastrous impact on the region than the 35% service cut projected last year, it will still affect negatively many areas around Pittsburgh. If you are not sure if your bus route will be affected, Port Authority offers a detailed list on its website.

Another Board of Directors meeting was called by the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) on Friday January 28th in a last attempt to reverse the Board's previous decision regarding a 15% transit cut. ACTC president Jonathan Robinson and ACTC senior member Stu Strickland were registered speakers at this event. Stu's speech is here.

The ACTC speakers leaned towards supporting ATU's suggestion to use the $45 million temporary funding in order to cover the entire budget shortfall for this fiscal year. Under this scenario the Port Authority will have to deal with the possibility of 35% cuts come June 2011 when the current fiscal year will end. On the other side Port Authority's CEO, Steve Bland stated that a 35% cut will be devastating for the region and unavoidable since the "tea leaves aren't reading well" in terms of potential state funding.

But there was one point on which all speakers agreed : transit needs dedicated, lasting funding sources otherwise transit programs across the whole state will continue being shortchanged.


New magnetic card fare system

On the upside Port Authority’s new fare system is back on the right track to be completed by its target date – January 2012. The new system, called Connect, will use rechargeable magnetic cards. Vending points will be situated in accessible spots across Allegheny County.

We hope that the new fare system will allow riders to purchase daily passes as well. Right now a person that may consider using transit from time to time instead of driving, the current system seems to do everything to discourage them as Stu notes in : We need a Day Pass.

The new fare system will also eliminate one of the alleged causes for the T's Red Line delays during the first week of January. Wednesday Jan 26th, at the meeting called by the Allegheny County Council in an attempt to settle a dispute between the Port Authority's administration and its union, ATU made the point that January 3rd being the first weekday for a new fare delays were a very probable consequence. Inbound operators had to spend more than the allotted stop time in order to explain the new fares to cash paying riders.

Building relations with other professionals involved in developing technology solutions and alternatives for transportation

ACTC members Michael Sypolt, Ana Bayne and Stuart Strickland will attend TransportationCamp East in New York City. The event will take place March 5-6, bringing together transportation professionals, technologists and others interested in finding the best alternatives in urban transportation.

From the event's website http://transportationcamp.org/

"Transportation is a major metropolitan issue, with direct impacts on economic strength, environmental sustainability, and social equity"[...]
"TransportationCamp will raise awareness of this opportunity and build
connections between disparate innovators in public administration,
transportation operations, information design, and software
development."

Tweeps @lndaley, @bus15237 and @jimlokay have contributed to this story.

Why “ Public Transportation service cuts will affect only bus riders” is a myth...

If you are among those who still think that Port Authority’s service cuts will only affect bus and T riders, you may want to read this post carefully. Because we have enough information at this point to draw quite a complex and accurate picture of the impact that the lack  public transportation services will have on drivers, the air we breathe and the local economy.

Drivers

What if your daily commute will take 3 minutes longer? After all 3 minutes does not seem to be that much time and a trip of 30 minutes does not seem to be much longer or costlier if it lasts 33 minutes...[1]

According to a study developed by Tim Lomax and David Shrank from the Texas Transportation Institute (Developing a Total Travel Time Performance Measure ) those 3 minutes will cost you more than you may think.  The study offers a better measure for the way traffic congestion will cost commuters in terms of travel time and wasted fuel. Instead of matching fuel costs with miles traveled or time spend in traffic, Lomax and Shrank use the Travel Time Index (TTI) as measure. TTI is the ratio between the actual travel time and travel time in ideal traffic conditions or free-flow in an urban area.

For now Pittsburgh does not fare that bad - with a Travel Time Index of 1.17- it is the  29^th most congested  areas among the 101 urban areas evaluated in 2009.  For Pittsburgh TTI of 1.17 implies that each auto commuter wasted 27 gallons of fuel due to congestion and spent $778 per year just for being stuck in traffic. But if the average auto commuter will have to spend 3 more minutes in traffic, the area’s TTI will also be higher and so Port Authority's 35% service cut would’ve caused a 0.08 increase in the region’s TTI from 1.17 to 1.25. Now I know that bare numbers are hard to translate into real traffic conditions, but I will use the information from the   National Congestion Tables  to draw a more tangible picture of what congestion would mean to someone who would  live in Pittsburgh's urban area for a TTI of 1.25*.

·         A Travel Time Index of 1.25 will make traffic congestion in the Pittsburgh Urban Area comparable with Chicago rather than with Charlotte as it is now.

·         Among urban areas of similar size, i.e. large urban areas, only Austin and Las Vegas are likely to have worse traffic than Pittsburgh.

·         The average auto commuter will waste about 5-6 more gallons of gas on average and spend $161.5 more for being stuck in traffic.[2]

·         The situation will be much worse for those commuters who spend most of their commute time within the city limits.

Us, our children and the air we breathe

According to  the Clymate Analysis Indicator Tool in 2005 USA accounted for 18.33% of the global yearly greenhouse emissions, second only to China and it is ranked as number one for cumulative emissions in the 1990-2005 period. The main factor beyond poor air quality is no longer an industry - as once were the manufacturing, chemical and mining - but our traditional fuel powered vehicles . The more the vehicles on the road the higher the emissions … [3]

The local economy

On the short term the most visible impact – two weeks ago I accompanied a coworker in order to help with a conference downtown and he drove in circles trying to find a parking place as three garages and a parking lot we had passed were already full by noon.

On the long term – if the study quoted by AP and Yahoo! News is even remotely correct -crude oil reserves will be depleted before an alternative energy personal vehicle will be available for the mass markets. And investors will avoid putting their money in area that do not offer multiple alternatives for their employees to commute or in other words economic growth will stagnate in areas where the main option for commuters is a personal vehicle.

Fortunately

...Port Authority's service cuts will only be 15% come this March. Thus less routes will be affected and impact could be somewhat limited during peak hours. So, there shall be less car trips than we feared and Pittsburghers will not experience Chicago like traffic this spring. But without a long term solution for dedicated funding for local public transit and multimodal networks the day when traffic in Pittsburgh will be as bad as in Houston may not be that far.

Notes:

[1] According to a study we had mentioned here and here , if former governor Ed Rendell  was not able to prevent the 35% service cuts by finding a temporary  funding solution the average  commute time during peak hours within the Region was estimated to increase by 3 minutes.

[2] Considering a 9% increase in vehicle hours (Transit Operators Committee: Request for Data retrieved from KeepPGHmoving grace to the Downtown Partnership.)

[3] or more details see table -Transit Operators Committee: Request for Data

* these numbers are rough estimates