This week, immediately following the PA Supreme Court’s long-awaited decision and ahead of the June 30 state budget deadline, Public Transit advocates across PA quickly mobilized to call on Legislators to support the Transit for All PA! Legislative Package (H.B.s 1523 & 1524, and S.B.s 795 & 796). Advocates scheduled Press Conferences in Philadelphia, phone banks across the state, and launched a new letter campaign – through which, more than 50,000 Pennsylvanians residing in every House and Senate District have contacted their elected officials and Gov. Shapiro, demanding new, expanded, dedicated transit funding sources since last year.
Transit for All PA! Month of Action schedule to call for new funding options and the Transit for All PA! Legislative Package:
- June 24, Statewide – Action Alert sent to 50,000 transit supporters in every PA county
- June 25 @ noon, Statewide – Statewide Advocacy Phone Bank
- June 26 @ 10am in Philadelphia Transit for All PA! Press Conference with Elected Officials
- June 30th @ 3pm in Lancaster – Public Testimony at Hearing for Red Rose Fare Increase
- July 7th @ noon in the Lehigh Valley – Supporters call for new state funding at LANTA Board Meeting
- July, Lancaster – Kick-off meeting for next phase of Lancaster Transit Rider Organizing
- July, Lehigh Valley – Kick-off meeting for next phase of Lehigh Valley Transit Rider Organizing
“There is no more denying it. PA Legislators need to open new revenue streams to support public transit so that every PA community can thrive, whether rural or urban, black or white, rich or poor.” said Connor Descheemaker, Statewide Campaign Manager at Transit for All PA!, “Public transit an essential public good that benefits everyone, whether you ride the bus or whether you depend on the healthcare, grocery store, or sanitation worker who does.”
The need for new transit funding sources in PA is at crisis levels. Since January 2025, service cuts and fare hikes have severely impacted smaller communities across the state. In January, despite growing transit ridership and population, LANTA in the Lehigh Valley was forced to raise fares and cut service. Just last week, Red Rose Transit in Lancaster announced a public hearing on proposed fare increases for its paratransit system, which moves many of our most vulnerable neighbors, disabled people and older adults, to healthcare, grocery stores and jobs. More cuts and fare hikes are coming to other rural and small transit systems across the state, as PA’s two largest transit agencies face fiscal cliffs in the coming year.
Sherry Mergner, a Westmoreland County resident, whose autistic son uses the Westmoreland County Transit Authority, used her speaking position the June 3 Transit Day of Action at the State Capitol to urge legislators to create new transit funding for rural transit systems, “Reliable transportation should not determine whether someone can accept a job, reach the doctor’s office, or fully participate in their community. My son, Noah, relies on paratransit not only to get to work but also to access many of the activities that contribute to his health, well-being, and independence.”
Now, with a budget due on June 30th and new revenue sources possible, transit funding must be a top priority. Alongside a new funding model for shared-ride and paratransit services in all 67 counties, we can deliver new revenue for our entire Commonwealth.
