Pepsi MAX Providing Free Transit Rides on New Year’s Day!

In celebration of New Year’s Day and the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, Port Authority riders will enjoy free travel on buses, the T and the Monongahela Incline on January 1, 2011, compliments of Pepsi MAX.

Free rides are valid during the January 1 service day (from 4 a.m. on January 1 through 2 a.m. on January 2).

Port Authority service will follow a holiday schedule on New Year’s Day. Additionally, special bus service will be provided directly to Heinz Field for Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic spectators; Pepsi MAX will also cover the cost of fares on this special service to the game. Click here for a schedule of shuttle bus service to the Winter Classic.

Free Pepsi MAX will also be handed out in the Steel Plaza and Wood Street T stations from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on New Year’s Day.

For more information, visit portauthority.org or call Port Authority Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or the TTY number, 412-231-7007, for the speech- and hearing-impaired.

For more information about Pepsi MAX events and the chance to win free tickets to the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic, visit www.pepsimax.com/facebook.

Toys for Tots Drive This Friday, Dec. 17

In partnership with Q92.9 FM and the US Marine Corps, Port Authority will co-host its annual Toys for Tots drive at the Steel Plaza T Station in Downtown Pittsburgh on Friday, Dec. 17.

Join us in bringing holiday cheer to local underprivileged children. Donations of new, unwrapped toys or cash will be collected from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. on the station's mezzanine level, entrance near the intersection of Sixth Avenue and Grant Street.

Anyone can participate in the toy drive -- you don't have to be a T rider or even a transit rider to help this worthy cause.

Q92.9 FM radio personalities John Cline and Kerri Griffith will broadcast The Q Morning Show live from the station during the event.

Short-Term Port Authority Funding Approved; 35% Service Reduction to be Scaled Back

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) voted last night by a vote of 27-22 to provide Port Authority with $45 million identified by Gov. Ed Rendell to help offset a statewide transportation funding shortfall.

The money allows Port Authority to scale back the approved 35-percent service reduction planned for March that would have been devastating for employers, businesses and riders. We are grateful to those regional officials who supported this effort and recognize the value of public transportation.

This clearly is a short-term Band Aid -- not a long-term solution. In response to concerns by a number of SPC Commissioners over the short-term benefit of these funds, Port Authority has committed to examine "stretching" the $45 million over the next 18 months -- through June 30, 2012.

So what does this mean?:

• Fares: The January 1, 2011 fare increase approved by the Port Authority Board of Directors will proceed as scheduled.
• Service: Riders will not face a 35 percent service reduction in March. Instead, service will be reduced by a lesser amount that will be detailed in January. Planners are determining specifics now. This would help the Authority through the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2011. Port Authority also could reduce service sometime in its upcoming fiscal year, which begins July 1, 2011.
• Layoffs: It is highly likely that some layoffs would occur under this plan but not at the levels originally feared.

Although this scenario would result in some level of fare increases, service reductions and job eliminations, it is preferable to cutting such a large percentage of our public transportation system and would not unravel the improvements in efficiency and productivity Port Authority has made through the last few years. It is the most responsible option available at this time -- short of resolving the statewide gap in transportation funding.

Port Authority, along with other stakeholders in the Commonwealth’s road, bridge, mass transportation and overall transportation network, continues to seek a meaningful discussion with the new State Administration and Legislature starting in January about long-term transportation funding.

Friday: Benefit Concert for United Way

Pittsburgh-based band Neutral Loss will hold a benefit concert for the United Way of Allegheny County this Friday, Dec. 10 at 7 p.m. at Diesel on the South Side.

Tickets are $7 at the door, and doors open at 6 p.m. Guests must be 21 or over to attend. Neutral Loss CDs will be available for purchase at the show.

Neutral Loss performs a mix of original hard rock songs as well as covers of classic rock and alternative rock hits from artists like Led Zeppelin, Van Halen and Pearl Jam.

Two of Neutral Loss’s members are Port Authority employees – vocalist/bassist Rick Cerra is a mechanic and maintenance board person at the Harmar bus division, and drummer Jeff DiPerna is assistant business agent in maintenance for ATU Local 85. Jim DiPerna, Jeff’s brother, rounds out the group on guitar.

All of the proceeds from the concert will benefit the United Way of Allegheny County, which serves a coalition of local charities and human service agencies addressing critical issues such as childhood education, youth violence, care for seniors and the disabled, and support for struggling families. For more details, visit www.unitedwaypittsburgh.org.

For more information on Neutral Loss, visit www.neutralloss.com.  

Statement: Governor's Announcement on Temporary Funding for Port Authority

This morning, Gov. Ed Rendell detailed a proposal to local leaders that would provide $45 million in funding to help sustain public transportation service in Allegheny County. The plan would have to be approved by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), which is a regional planning agency that directs the use of transportation funds in the region.

The $45 million would come from unused economic development funds and not from other transportation projects.

The governor made the announcement during a press conference this morning in Downtown Pittsburgh, following a briefing with SPC members.

This would be a temporary fix for Port Authority and would not resolve the State's transportation funding crisis. Port Authority is anxious to have serious discussions with State leaders in the new year about a responsible long-term solution for transit and highway funding.

Port Authority will examine the proposal in the coming weeks and determine how it might impact fares and service. The Authority will not take any action until after the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission votes on the matter later this month.

We'll continue to keep you updated as these events unfold through the coming weeks.