No fare hikes in $17.9M Westmoreland transit budget

Westmoreland County bus fares will stay the same in the next year, officials said this week.

Westmoreland County Transit Authority will maintain its fees for the fiscal year that begins July 1 under a $17.9 million budget, Alan Blahovec, executive director, told the authority board Thursday.

The board unanimously approved the 2025-2026 budget, which represents a 5.1% increase from the $17 million budget for the current fiscal year. The state provided $5.89 million this fiscal year and the upcoming budget assumes the same support, though it could increase by $1.16 million if the General Assembly approves the $292 million Gov. Shapiro is seeking for the state’s 52 mass transit systems.

Any increase in funding would help to stabilize long-term finances and allow the agency to continue providing safe, reliable and stable service, Blahovec said.

“We may have the opportunity to introduce even more improvements from the transit development plan” if the governor’s proposal is approved, Blahovec said.

The additional state funding would represent a 21% increase in state aid, said Ashley Cooper-Brounce, the authority’s deputy executive director.

The House of Representatives approved the additional transportation funding, but it still must pass the Republican-controlled Senate before it heads to Shapiro’s desk.

Senate Majority Leader Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, whose district covers part of Westmoreland County, said that with billions of dollars already being invested in mass transit, taxpayers must have assurances their taxes are being used efficiently. A key component of this discussion is also addressing the transportation infrastructure needs throughout the state, especially the roads and bridges serving rural and suburban areas.

“We must be honest with taxpayers about the difficult reality that this budget (of almost $51.5 billion) cannot be all things to all people,” Pittman said in a statement.

The state funding is the largest amount of revenue the authority receives from any single source. The budget also projects receiving $3.7 million in medical assistance payments.

The federal government is giving $3.3 million in covid-related funding to the authority. But the CARES Act funding will be depleted in the upcoming fiscal year, Cooper-Brounce said. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 will be gone by the 2027-2028 fiscal year.

The revenue from fare box and ticketing is projected to be $478,000 for the next fiscal year, up from $450,000 in the current year, Cooper-Brounce said. But fares from revenue — and passenger and third-party co-pays — will amount to only $921,590. That will account for only 4% of the authority’s total budget, she said.

Operational costs will amount to $14.4 million, with general administrative costs projected to be $3.4 million.

The authority starts the fiscal year with 150 employees, five fewer than last year, Cooper-Brounce said. There will be 18 positions available in the upcoming fiscal year, including six paratransit drivers, two mechanics and two utility workers, but it does not mean the authority will fill all those positions, she said.