On Tuesday, April 29, Mobilify, Pittsburghers for Public Transit and Transit for All PA! co-hosted the Save Our Service! rally at 955 Penn Ave. in downtown Pittsburgh, right next to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, where Pittsburgh Regional Transit kicked off the first of three hearings to gather input on proposed service cuts and fare increases.
PRT warned March 20 that a 35% service cut could take effect as early as February 2026 due to a lack of sufficient state funding. In a worst-case scenario, PRT would have to eliminate 41 of its 100 routes and restrict service on 34 others. The cuts would be paired with a 25-cent fare increase.
Mobilify Executive Director Chris Sandvig told the Pittsburgh Union Progress that the financial crisis shouldn’t have been a surprise since the state’s transportation funding package expired two years ago. State officials knew that when they passed it in 2014.
“This one scares me more,” he said, adding that the wide-spread nature of the proposed cuts would have a profound effect on many people’s lives.
Sandvig was among the first to testify at the morning PRT hearing, noting in remarks: “Workers and employers alike seek places that invest in transit. Will they come? Would they stay? Would your kids want to live in that kind of Pittsburgh? Would you? I don’t see this as hyperbole,” as reported by KDKA-TV 2 (CBS).
After his testimony, Sandvig joined the rally with hundreds of others, including County Executive Sara Innamorato, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey, PRT CEO Katherine Kelleman and members of the Allegheny County state legislative delegation, telling WTAE-TV 4 (ABC) that the cuts “impact the quality of life that all of us have come to expect in Western Pennsylvania,” he told WTAE-TV 4 (ABC).
“While not quite on par with the collapse of steel, the collapse of transit would be disastrous for the region,” Sandvig told WESA 90.5 FM in an interview.
Additional coverage from the rally including reporting from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Tribune-Review and other outlets, underscoring just how significant this crisis is.
There is still time to act.
PRT’s public comment period on the service reductions and fare increases runs through June 18. Besides the hearings, there are several other ways for residents and businesses to provide feedback. CLICK HERE for details.
Harrisburg also needs to hear from you. Contact your state representative and senator. Let them know how important transit is to you and those you help. Find your state representative HERE and your state senator HERE.
