PRT board passes 'Band-Aid' budget to avoid transit rate hikes, drastic service cuts

Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s board on Friday formally approved a budget that will stave off rate hikes and drastic service cuts.

But officials reiterated the measure to use $100 million in state funds to plug holes in the transit authority’s operating budget is an imperfect fix.

“This is not a win,” agency CEO Katharine Kelleman told the board. “This is not a solution. It’s not the long-term stability we’ve been fighting for.”

Pittsburgh Regional Transit earlier this month announced it would receive over $100 million in state funds to close its operating deficit.

That allows the transit authority to halt plans to cut service by 35% and raise fares by 9% next year, proposals that had sparked serious concerns among riders.

PennDOT approved almost $107 million to cover operating expenses over the next two years. That measure moves money to the agency’s operating budget that otherwise would have been used for capital projects.

“Every dollar that gets moved into operating is a project that won’t get done or won’t get done this year,” Kelleman said.

Ahead of the board’s unanimous vote to amend its budgets to adjust for that funding, Kelleman warned riders that the authority is avoiding “catastrophic” service cuts but will not be able to make significant improvements to service in the next couple of years.

“If you are at a busway station stop that is an uninviting block — looks more like a prison than it looks like a bus shelter — you’ll still be in that shelter rather than getting something which is better for your experience,” Kelleman said. “That’s what we can afford to do.”

She vowed not to pause any safety-related upgrades. Additional details on where the authority might eliminate or delay capital improvements are expected at the board’s October meeting.

“I want to clarify — this is not the end of the conversation,” Kelleman said. “It’s not a long-term funding solution. It is covering your mortgage with your car payment.”

State Sen. Lindsey Williams, D-West View, who sits on the board, said she was happy to vote for the measure Friday that kept the authority from cutting routes and raising prices.

But officials have a lot of work to do to find more sustainable solutions for transit funding, she said.

“This is a short-term, Band-Aid solution,” Williams said. “We have some real long-term issues to address.”

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority, the Philadelphia area’s mass transit agency, also got the green light from Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration to use up to $394 million earmarked for capital improvements to cover its operating costs.

But Laura Chu-Wiens, executive director of Pittsburghers for Public Transit, said smaller transit authorities around the commonwealth are still facing imminent cuts and rate hikes.

And while she was “feeling relief” at the temporary solution alleviating those fears for Allegheny County’s transit system, Chu-Wiens also urged the board to make improvements where it can.

“Even though PRT service cuts are on pause, we will not settle for maintaining the status quo for the next two years,” Chu-Wiens said.

“We’re not done yet, but thank you for at least having a solution to get us some breathing room for the next two years,” transit rider Brian Hatgelakas told board members Friday. “It seems like now we’re trying to rob Peter to pay Paul. But as long as we can get what we need, I’m happy with (it) for the time being.”