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Southwestern Pennsylvania’s largest transit agency could see a needed boost of about $40 million annually thanks to a budget proposal unveiled Monday by Gov. Josh Shapiro.
If passed, it would be the first funding increase for Pittsburgh Regional Transit in years, an agency spokesman said Monday.
Transit agencies across the state, including Pittsburgh Regional Transit, have suffered service cuts and declines in ridership spurred by the pandemic. The agency has also struggled to find enough operators to drive buses and vehicles, contributing to the cuts.
The proposed increase is part of $282 million annual boost in state public transit funding that Shapiro is seeking. It would mark a 1.75% jump in the state’s investment in the dozens of transit agencies across Pennsylvania. No new state taxes or state tax increases are being proposed.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit, the second-largest transit agency in the state, would receive about $40 million more each year under the proposal, according to estimates from the governor’s office. That would be a hike of more than 7% to its 2024 operating budget of $535 million.
Brandolph said the transit agency supports the proposed increase.
“The governor’s proposal would be the first increase to public transit funding in more than a decade,” Brandolph said. “It will help ensure Pittsburgh Regional Transit can continue to serve and support Allegheny County.”
The Pittsburgh-area agency has been making small service cuts over the last year, as ridership has failed to fully rebound from the pandemic. Pittsburgh Regional Transit did not respond to questions about what additional funding would be used for.
The proposal comes as the Philadelphia-area’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA), the state’s largest agency, has said it would have to make drastic service cuts without an increase in state funding.
Shapiro said hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanian rely on public transportation every day, and the proposed funding increase will help keep it reliable.
“Whether you’re traveling to work in Philadelphia on SEPTA or you’re a student in Pittsburgh using [Pittsburgh Regional Transit] to get to school, investing in and improving our public transit systems is a commonsense way to create good-paying jobs, spur economic development, and help Pennsylvanians reach their destinations safely,” he said.
Shapiro is proposing increasing the state’s sales tax revenue allocation to the Public Transportation Trust Fund by 1.75%. The increase will funnel that allocation away from the state’s general fund, said the governor’s office.
Other regional agencies — like Westmoreland Transit Authority and Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority — would also see small increases under the proposal. The governor’s office didn’t provide specific numbers for these smaller agencies. Pittsburgh Regional Transit and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority receive about 90% of the state’s public transit funding spending.
The proposed increase still seeks approval from the state legislature. Shapiro’s office said it has briefed Republicans and Democrats in Harrisburg.
Erica Clayton Wright, spokesperson for Senate President Pro Tempore Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, said Shapiro’s proposal does not include enough details for Ward to weigh in. He said that she hopes the governor will be providing more specifics.
“Details of the transportation proposal, specifically the distribution of funds and cost to taxpayers, are glaringly missing,” she said.
Counties across the state are bound by state law to provide a 15% match for any increases in state public transit funding. Allegheny County would need to provide about $6 million more each year if Pittsburgh Regional Transit were to receive an additional $40 million.
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato has been supportive of increasing public transit funding.
Abigail Gardner, an Innamorato spokeswoman, said the administration welcomes the proposed investment and is confident the county will be able to provide the matching funds in a “fiscally responsible” manner.
“Building a robust, predictable, and accessible public transit system is vital for our region’s economic future,” Gardner said.
Ryan Deto is a TribLive reporter covering politics, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County news. A native of California’s Bay Area, he joined the Trib in 2022 after spending more than six years covering Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh City Paper, including serving as managing editor. He can be reached at rdeto@triblive.com.
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