Port Authority: Major Cost-Saving Necessary to Trim Budget
WTAE (Video)
Transit gloom: Riders will bear the brunt of Harrisburg's inaction
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Save our roads: The Legislature must approve funding this summer
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Port Authority’s budget problems mean tough choices
Pittsburgh Business Times
Transportation funding can't wait
The state Legislature must help fill the Port Authority budget gap now
Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership - via Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Gathering transit storm to hit all of Pittsburgh
Allegheny Conference on Community Development - via Pittsburgh Business Times
And even more coverage...
- KDKA (video): Port Authority Plans 35 Percent Service Cuts
- WPXI (video): Riders Upset With Proposed Port Authority Cuts
- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Survey: Transit cuts could have big impact
- New Pittsburgh Courier: PAT plans deep cuts...Changes will affect every route
- Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Port Authority bus cuts could severely hamper disabled
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Port Authority eyes massive service cuts, Authority points to inadequate state funding
Posts
The links for the Business Times are useless. They are for PAID subscribers only
ReplyDeleteWe unfortunately are not able to republish the Business Times articles. Only paid subscribers have access to those articles for the first month, then they are free to all web users. We apologize for the inconvenience. However, we also did not want to ignore the significance of those articles.
ReplyDeleteHow can we consider ourselves as a leading "Green" city in the eastern seaboard if we cannot even provide decent public transport to our commuters? This recent proposed cut back in funding is only going to increase the traffic congestion, burn more fuel, and cause more damage to our roads and bridges. How can our politicians and business leaders expect to attract bright young talent to come to our city and stay if they are going to sit in congested traffic for 2 to 4 hours? How productive can you be with a book or lap-top computer when you are driving a car in stop-and-go traffic? Think about the increase in dangerous traffic conditions. Passengers in a public transport could be a lot more productive and better prepared both mentally and physically for full day's work. It is about time that someone shake some sense to change the myopic attitude of our state government and policy makers.
ReplyDeleteI'm getting tired of the Port Authority blaming the state or the feds for a failure to fund it properly. I think it's long past time to privatize the buses.
ReplyDeleteThey don't care! It's all about saving their pocketbooks, not our transit. How is better for people to hop on more buses to go a short distance? Nope. Not even. One lady has to go Downtown just to catch a bus to Wal Mart. RIDICULOUS! One bus per area equals overcrowding. It's so stupid. Miss one bus by seconds and wait an hour for the next. I'm sick of PAT and their greedy, stupid selves. Next year, no buses. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
ReplyDeletePAT always blames others instead of themselves. Privatize PAT and it will be MUCH better. Congested traffic and a whole city full of financial pain. Yep, Faster, Smarter, Better. Yeah, right. It's hard enough as it is now. They're only a saving themsleves.
ReplyDeleteprivatizing is a great catch phrase for you people. You will have less service and still have to pay higher fares because it is privately owned, not a non- profit like it is now. They will only run the main routes and nowhere else. Do you really think the taxes you pay now will be lessened, no! they will be moved to somewhere else! So you will pay the same taxes for much worse service. Good idea
ReplyDeletePrivate companies are failing too. Remember you get what you pay for. Constant cuts in funding and rising cost are creating an end for all public services. Private bus companies in other cities that took some services from the public sector are now threatening to go bankrupt unless the city to raise taxes to fund them. Whats that tell you?
ReplyDeleteIf the Port Authority is in such a "crunch", why are college students and Port Authority employees allowed to ride the bus for free?
ReplyDeleteEven if the Port Authority was to only charge college students 2 dollars each way, these funds alone would help reduce or eliminate the budget crisis. There are a lot of students who still have their college ID’s, have graduated, and they still use their ID’s for free transportation. If Port Authority employees had to pay 2 dollars, there would be no need to eliminate routes or increase the cost of riding.
How fair is it to allow individuals to ride for free when the Port Authority can’t afford to pay their employees 50k to start to simply drive a bus and for allowing those at age of 55 to retire?
I am so sick & tired of this transit system blaming everyone for their mismanagment which has been going on for years, and this is what the result of this is. It needs to stop now, and our city and state officials need to step in and stop them from this nonsense year after year. For the last 3 years its been the same with raising the fairs, and cutting the service, this is just ridiculous!!!! When is this going to stop with them!!!! This is just a Dying town, and its time to leave!! Liveable City Yeah right, no bus service due to GREED!!!! Its takes me over an hr to get to work daily when I live not even 1/2 hr from my job, this service is lousy, and the drivers are nasty and rude,just burn this system and start over with a new CEO, board of directors, because those running this system now needs to be let go!!
ReplyDeleteCollege students don't ride Port Authority buses for free. The universities sign contracts with Port Authority every year (http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/tabid/331/mid/805/newsid805/388/Default.aspx) and then the students pay transportation fees every semester, which are mandatory even if the student doesn't use public transportation. I agree that it is unfair that some graduates use their IDs and aren't paying anything to do so, but charging students more isn't going to solve the problem... unless you think that cutting close to $7 million from their budget is going to help. Plus you have to figure that it isn't simply a matter of charging someone $2 each way... some people use bus passes to make taking the bus more cost efficient. A way to get around former students using their IDs would be to have a system in place to scan the IDs and bus passes, but that would cost money to implement.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that every time there is a fare increase riders in Zone 2 are forced to share a larger burden? We already pay more to ride the bus. Why aren't the increases across the board?? Also, the buses are already overcrowded, and yet, we'll have to get by with fewer of them. COUNT ME OUT!!
ReplyDeleteI don't recall anyone compaining about public transporation decades ago. It just goes to show that those in authoritative positions have no common sense. Having an MBA, PhD, etc. does not guarantee common sense. CEOs, managers, supervisors, etc should not be hired just because they have titles after their names. Experience should be a requirement Did Mr. Bland ever ride a bus? I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in the fact that state appointed funds were alotted to "save" PAT from having to take the drastic measures it threatened to, the 35% service/route cuts, and yet the company is still going ahead with almost half the amount of cuts anyway - 15% of the original, 35% - what's happening to the money? There should be some transparency with regards to the allocation of funds, and riders - PA residents - whose PA money is going towards assisting the transit system (purportedly to prevent cuts, reductions, and eliminations). I want to know why the buses I use to get to and from work, school, and shopping, let alone to visit friends and family or for social events are still going to either be eliminated (9 Perry Highway - to CCAC North Campus), have weekend service reduced (what about my Saturday classes and work?), and/or have the routes affected? Not to mention my sister, whose bus from Crane Village (37) is scheduled to be eliminated on march 27. We deserve to know, and we deserve to be able to commute by bus within the city. Pittsburgh may have been ranked at 5 for literacy rates, but it seems our social infrastructure and the companies controlling transit are ecologically, economically, and socially illiterate.
ReplyDeleteOnce again PAT is misusing funds, those extra funds where intended to be used to keep the existing service in place while the new Gov had time to decide what to do. PAT board then kicked sand in the face of the Gov, and us riders, but unilaterally deciding what they could do with the money.
ReplyDeleteAll I know is my bus was eliminated, thanks for nothing.
We are implementing 15% cuts in March as a way of stretching the funds received over 18 months. The funding is for Fiscal Year 2011, which is already halfway over. So using all the money upfront would get us until the end of June 2011 without cuts, but then we'd be facing a new fiscal year, a new budget and very likely service cuts of a much greater magnitude.
ReplyDeleteBy stretching the money out over 18 months we can make a smaller cut now and not have to face the possibility of cutting service until at least June 2012, provided something drastic or unexpected doesn't happen. That will give the state more time to come up with a dedicated means of funding transportation.
It is our hope that this 15% cut is only a temporary response to the funding crisis and that we can restore service if funding allows.
Routes chosen for elimination were selected based on a number of factors like low ridership, high operating costs or duplicate service. These are not decisions we want to have to make, and we recognize the impact they will have on the community, which is why we need to continue seeking solutions to sustainably fund transit.
But don't you see the error in your logic, the funding is for this fiscal year, it KEPT all existing routes. In a regular business you can't keep fiscal year money for 18 months.
ReplyDeletePlus, you are showing the Governor that a %15 cut is acceptable.
The but I ride is always at least %75 full, you can't tell me that it is being eliminated for any of the reasons you cited, and if you mean duplicate service, multiple hops suck, it doubles the trip time, so that isn't a duplication except from a bean counter's point of view.
28x is always packed, how do you expect it not to be as packed and as much of a hassle for me to get to work now that you're cutting out the g1? I just moved here from chicago cause i thought this was a great city aside from the sports pride. Apparently, thats all you will have now. Chicago does just fine with the busses and train at 2 bucks a ride. 7% unemployment rate? not anymore cause you will be hurting a lot of people with this. Way to go guys...Is that regret in my voice? I think so..Oh, as a g1 rider, i notice a lot of people that do not live here, utilizing it to get from downtown to the mall at robinson or vice vera...now we are going to make them walk from the top of the hill?? way to make them feel welcome.
ReplyDeleteLester:
ReplyDeleteThe $45 M will be awarded as a grant which can be applied toward a period of time of our choosing. The funds aren't mandated for FY 2011 use.
When the January rate increase came I dropped my payroll deduction for the Zone 2 monthly pass. Switched to tickets since I only ride 4 days a week on average and walk into Oakland since I no longer can use my pass for a connection. My net effect...their increase forced me to look for money saving changes and get some exercise along the way.
ReplyDeleteI'm saving over $40 a month. If the buses continue to run soon I will become a foul-weather rider. The type of rider the regular customers hate. But after 25+ years on the bus (even earlier I used it for college too) I guess I have done my part for the green movement. Time to move on with a different vehicle for me. My loss is their loss.
Zone 2 price times 12 months a year for PAT....small fry in their mega-dollar budget
especially considering I have no weekend service in my area.
Maybe folks should be contacting their state reps with their issues. They are the ones who control the cash. No one is looking forward to these cuts, but the money is simply running out. Those who endorse privatization should be careful what they wish for. It didn't work 50 yrs. ago and in places that have privatized, it isn't working now. Your taxes won't go down, you won't pay less for service, and you won't have more service. You will however get drivers who make $8.50 an hour who can't pass a drug or background test, who don't plan on retiring from the company, and therefore have no real interest in the betterment of the service. You will entice the shady entrepeneurs that see an opportunity to make a quick buck to operate substandard vehicles and service, then get out. Hopefully, if there's an accident, they'll carry adequate insurance. Do the research and ask questions, then decide...
ReplyDeletethe 25 coraopolis robinson moon
ReplyDeleteis the heart of the area coraopolis is like a little italy like bloomfield or like little newyork this route holds alot of people lives at stake , of alot of service jobs that it holds this area holds the hardest working people in the area if the bus route is eliminated it would kill a now know as a global Economy , it's like a silicon valley , a key piece to America I suggest look into it tremendouslly , an area that intails alot of jobs that alot of people now live on and take daily , when they cut the hours in the evening it hurt mainly a social life , and sundays alot of people used to work on that day in the week like me , now I've been getting a ride to and From , 8 years at a job , a top notch vet of my company of moon township giant eagle ,and I"m looking for new work now that it's not a guaranted route no more moving on it's not NewYork but with the first round of cuts killed alot of people already If it is eliminatted all together alot of people might as well leave pittsburgh because of the not thourough looking into this. If it would be expanded more hours it would pump up this Area , Open your Mind Get out of the Box ...
I made a suggestion several months ago to increase revenue, with very little cost…with upcoming service cuts some people may opt to drive to the nearest park n’ ride rather than drive and park in expensive garages. If you have ever been to a park n’ ride during the week, you know there is inadequate space. Many people would pay to have a guaranteed spot. Port Authority could take a PORTION of the parking and offer weekly or monthly leases. They would only have to issue a permit for the car window and hire someone to check the permits from maybe 7am to 7pm. Again, I want to stress, I don’t think they should do this for the entire park n’ ride only a portion of it.
ReplyDeleteas i look at the proposals for March, i see 2 things. (1) wasn't the 500 created to be more efficient? now it's being replaced by the 2 routes it replaced. (2)the Oakland Loop is the time of route that should be replicated, smaller buses transporting passengers to the main lines.
ReplyDeletePAT is absolutely TERRIBLE!! one of the worst bus system in he country and they wonder why no one wants to live in this awful city. The ONLY plus for the city is the steelers. People who try to make an honest living rely on this transportation so to eliminate it is nuts!! Take money from all the other BS this city invest in and help PAT. i.e. The steelers!!
ReplyDeleteMany people may be forced to become unemployed after losing their transportation. That means more on the rolls and more crime. Way to go PAT board.
ReplyDeleteSusan W.
1 What happened to the money from the "drink tax".
ReplyDelete2. Where's Mayor Luke in all this?! Where's his voice?
I agree, it is long past time to privatize our bus and rail system. I am sick and tired of these extortion tactics to get more money from the government so PAT can mismanage it more. In this economy, it is difficult enough to find a job without having to worry that you will no longer be able to Get to work. Why does PAT want our jobs?
ReplyDeleteDoesn't anybody on that board recognize that if you raise rates and cut service, NO ONE will ride? If you take away our means of getting to work, we won't have the money to pay for these outrageous bus passes, tickets, and Your Jobs. Stop paying out ridiculous retirement packages, and do the job you were contracted to do! Stop contributing to Unemployment! It's way past time that we the citizens take back our transit system.
Anonymous at 3:22 pm, 2/11:
ReplyDeleteWe have been receiving money from the drink tax. Prior to the creation of the drink tax and car rental tax, county funding for Port Authority came from the property tax. These new taxes have served as a replacement source of county funding, not as an additional source of funding, and Port Authority no longer receives property tax dollars. Moreover, county funding was not the issue in our FY2011 budget; our deficit was largely attributable to a gap in funding on the state level.
Port Authority does not receive funding from the City of Pittsburgh. Our funding comes from county, state and federal sources.
Service reduction? ?? Really? How about total bus route elimination! Over a mile to the nearest running bus stop(that's running at least for now!). How are people who work and don't have a car supposed to do their grocery shopping?
ReplyDeleteGuess the parking garages will profit off of this...and the car dealerships. Definitely not going to help draw people to come to or come back to Pittsburgh, and this will not help retain many.
Public Transportation in "da burgh"? Fuggedaboutit!!!
Just shut the whole system down and let everyone suffer. Make the suburbanites double their commutes and parking costs. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteMUST BE HARD WORK TO BE THIS INCOMPETENT.
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised in Pittsburgh but am currently living in North Florida. I had been thinking about moving back home but not now. Not with the current state of the public transportation system. I do not drive, never have, so I am truly dependent on public transportation. The cuts in service coupled with the fare increases are hard to fathom. Where I am living now, the bus fare is $1.00, no that is not a typo. The fare is just one dollar. $1.50 for an express route. There are no transfers, just pay another dollar if you have to transfer to another bus. Rarely would one need to utilize more than two busses to get to their destination. The city I am in is the largest city in the country I believe (Jacksonville) and frankly, I would not be here if not for family obligations. I cannot imagine how painful these service cuts will be! Especially in the colder months. So I guess after a lifetime of using public transportation, I am going to get a driver's license because that is the only way I can even conceive of moving back. Clearly, one can no longer rely on PAT as a source of transportation. Lastly, if Jacksonville's public transportation system can figure it out, why can't PAT?
ReplyDeleteI am facing a complete elimination of my bus (the 25 Moon). I use this bus to get to work (about an hour away on foot), and to school (30-45 minutes down a road with no sidewalks). However, I am not the only one who will suffer, and while I am blessed to have the support of great family and friends, others are not so blessed. Many in my community will be stranded. There are really no grocery stores, or doctors offices in walking distance; there really are no places of business. How are people supposed to live? Magically get a car in the three months between when they were told about the cuts, and when they are proposed to take place? I am disheartened. I cannot believe this was the only way. I am also sad for the loss of the drivers who will be fired. So many will be out of work.
ReplyDeleteHow am I going to get to work now? You've cut my route, I have no care. The nearest grocery store is 3 miles away. You have basically killed my lively hood thanks a lot. I dont know what I'm going to do. I'm so paranoid about the upcoming months. Please keep the 25 I need it for my survival.
ReplyDeleteAlternative routes, are you kidding. You are effectively cutting off the people who live off of Crane Avenue, including two major apartment buildings, and stranding those who live there! Now we will all have to move as soon as we can or hike a quarter mile up or down Crane Avenue with no sidewalks. The 37 Ridgemont was the only bus we had.
ReplyDeleteFrom my understanding Pennsylvania already currently provides 63% of the Port Authority's budget. In this fiscal year, the state provided $184.4 million in operating assistance and another $34.9 million in asset maintenance for a total of $219.3 million in state support. It has also been brought to my attention that a large part of the Port Authority's budget includes post-retirement benefits, specifically health care. Health care and pension expenses have risen at an annual rate of 21.8%. These costs are impacting the authority's ability to operate. The state has provided substantial funding to mass transit across the state, but the Port Authority's legacy costs are continuing to drive this issue. The post-retirement benefits for which the authority is responsible (specifically health care) have risen at an annual rate of 21.8%.
ReplyDeleteThe point of public transportation is to decrease traffic and to be environmentally friendly. Port Authority is blaming the state for not providing them with more funds but they are blowing through the funds they have on health care costs. Everyone is pointing fingers but I think someone needs to step up and take responsibility for this situation instead of making Pittsburgh suffer. I believe that the state has provided enough and it is now Port Authority's turn to properly budget their funds so the city is not affected to this extent.
This is complete B.S. Port Authority bus drivers make the most money in the country when factoring in cost of living into the equation. That is a fact! They also offer one of the most generous benefit packages for retirees and current employees. Cut some of the huge salaries and luxurious benefit packages and maybe you wouldn't have to cut routes. The 25 in moon is vital to this community. I see hundreds of college kids taking the bus places, to work and robinson. Many college students don't have cars and use the 25 as their means to get downtown for internships, jobs, and pleasure. Your making a big mistake and hurting the community, and especially the students. Take a paycut loose the greed, and keep the 25
ReplyDeleteAnonymous at 2:06 pm, 2/21:
ReplyDeleteWe tried to provide information on alternative service that we felt was realistic and feasible for riders. Unfortunately not every discontinued route is going to have a readily identifiable alternative. Some riders may have to consider transportation options outside the Port Authority system, like ACCESS or WorkLink.
Anonymous at 12:37 pm, 2/22:
You're correct that legacy costs make up a sizable part of our budget. However, under current state law we cannot restructure pension and healthcare benefits for current retirees, and the rising cost of healthcare is not within our control. We have done what we can to curtail future expenses -- for instance, retirement eligibility requirements were changed in the most recent collective bargaining agreement.
Bring back the trains !!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately not every discontinued route is going to have a readily identifiable alternative?
ReplyDeleteYou make it sound as though there's an obvious solution waiting just around the corner. I live in Cranberry and take the 13k to class at Chatham. I have NO other way to get into the city. I can't afford a car and I certainly can't afford the 50$ a week that the Lenzer tour replacement busses would charge. What am I supposed to do? Walk? Drop out?
Apparently, my 'readily identifiable alternative' is to upend my entire life because Port Authority can't balence its budget. How about, as a non-profit, you consider the PEOPLE you'll be affecting, rather than running around naval-gazing?
There ARE other options. There ARE alternatives. Only, no one wants to look for them, because that would be *hard*, wouldn't it?
People who call for "privatization" of transit service should do some research into the history of public transportation in Allegheny County. Prior to the formation of Port Authority, the more populated areas were served by the clean and efficient streetcars operated by Pittsburgh Railways Company; some of the outlying areas were served by private bus lines which operated on a limited basis. Since the private companies operated on a "for profit" basis, buses were run only during times when the owners could be reasonably sure of a full complement of riders; there was no incentive for buses to run during off peak hours when there was no assurance of passengers. While this might have been a satisfactory arrangement for peak hour commuters, there wasn't much help for those who needed a mid day or late night ride.
ReplyDeleteNotice the Lenzner company wants to take over two routes which will be discontinued by the Port Authority. Notice there willbe only limited peak hour runs, no discounts, no transfers or coordination between other routes, as well as the need to pre-purchase bus passes. These limitations were similar to those in pre-PAT days and will return with privatization.
Public transit is NOT a money making business if the intent is to serve the entire community throughout the day; the only way the operators can make a profit is to run service at peak times in population dense areas. The privatization might benefit the daily commuter who lives along a major trunk line, but what happens to people who must travel during off peak hours?
Granted PAT has many problems which must be addressed, but dismantling the system is NOT going to solve any of these issues.