My name is Bobbie Fan, and I’m a proud member of Pittsburghers for Public Transit. I was recently appointed to represent riders on Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s Governing Board. This feels like the work I was meant to do: ensuring that PRT meets the needs of all residents in Allegheny County. To speak up for riders like you, I need to hear your voice. Can I count on you to raise your voice by joining PPT?
Membership is the anchor of PPT’s transformative activism. When you become a member, you become an integral part of our grassroots union of transit riders, workers, and neighbors. As your representative on the PRT Board, I need you to join because:
I need to hear YOUR voice! I need to know what everyday riders want and need, so I can advocate for an expanded, affordable, accessible public transit system that serves ALL residents of Allegheny County.
I need to make PRT hear your voice! On my own, I’m just another Board member. Every new member who joins PPT amplifies my voice and ensures that the people speak louder than special interests.
This is how we build power! The more we stand together as a union, the more our elected officials will have to listen to us as we push back against manufactured austerity.
In 2025, we’re going to push PRT even harder with ourVisionary Transit Service campaign. For decades, transit riders have called on elected leaders to provide accessible, expansive transit that meets our community’s economic, environmental and public health needs. Instead, they’ve cut routes and services, driving down ridership while claiming scarcity. Well, we’re done with PRT telling us what’s possible. It’s time to fund a community vision of what transit can and should be. Join us in this fight.
The minimum cost of joining is just $2.75, the same as one ride on PRT. And this year, the Posner Foundation has offered to match every contribution made during our Year End Member Drive up to $10,000. Turn your $100 into $200. Turn your $500 into $1,000!
Ride with us today, and make your donation monthly! It’s time to make PRT work for the people.
Image Description: graphic has a PPT member at a rally. Text at the top of the image reads “More Bus Shelters!”
City Budget decisions for 2025 are happening NOW. Contact your City Councilmember today to support Councilmember Warwick’s amendment for the expansion of dignified, sheltered transit stops in the City of PIttsburgh!
District 3 Bob Charland (Allentown, Mt Washington, Mt Oliver, Southside, South Oakland): (412) 255-2130
District 4 Anthony Coghill(Beechview, Brookline, Carrick): (412) 255-2131
District 5 Barb Warwick (Hazelwood, Greenfield, Lincoln Place, Swisshelm Park, parts of Sq Hill and Oakland): (412) 255-8965
District 6 R. Daniel Lavelle (Uptown, Hill District, Marshall-Shadeland, parts of Downtown) : (412) 255-2134
District 7, Deborah Gross (Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, Polish Hill, Highland Park, Morningside): (412) 255-2140
District 8, Erica Strassburger (Shadyside, North Oakland, West side of Sq Hill): (412) 255-2133
District 9, Khari Mosley (East Liberty, Larimer, Lincoln, Lemington, Homewood, Pt. Breeze): (412) 255-2137
Whether you are Black or white, disabled or able-bodied, an older adult or a high school student, we all deserve a safe, dignified, and comfortable way to get where we need to go.
However, Allegheny County transit riders are usually waiting for their ride out in the cold and in the rain. That is because our region has the dubious honor of having some of the fewest bus shelters installed relative to stops in the nation – only 8%, according to a recent Washington Post article. In the City of Pittsburgh alone, there are more than 230 bus stops that currently do not have any transit amenities, but which should have shelters and benches because they have over 30 riders boarding transit at these stops everyday.
The City of Pittsburgh is responsible for installing and maintaining bus shelters within the city limits, not Pittsburgh Regional Transit. Despite that,the 2025 City of Pittsburgh proposed budget has no budget line for transit amenities, just as in all the budgets prior in recent memory.
There are over 100,000 transit trips taken everyday in the City of Pittsburgh; riders deserve better! Over the past year, riders with Pittsburghers for Public Transit have done bus stop walk audits to identify stops in which shelters could be immediately deployed, done research on total ridership and rider demographics at each stop, given public testimony on the importance of transit infrastructure, and joined the Complete Streets Committee to play an active role in informing the City about transit rider needs. We have done our part. It’s long past time for the City to invest in safe, accessible, comfortable and dignified transit infrastructure.
Today, Councilwoman Barb Warwick introduced an amendment to allocate $110,000 of an approx. $540,000 surplus of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds towards Bus Shelters/Transit Amenities. We applaud her leadership, and now want to ensure that her colleagues on Council vote to approve her amendment.
City of Pittsburgh Map of All PRT Bus Stops With Ridership >30 Riders/Day without Shelters, developed by Abhishek Vishwanathan
Closing the gap on unsheltered bus stops is a critical equity issue in every Pittsburgh City Council District.
Funding bus shelters is a quality-of-life improvement for marginalized Pittsburghers, and one that spans all Council districts.Every dot on this map of Pittsburgh reflects a bus stop where ridership justifies a bus shelter, but which currently does not have one. The red dots indicate that the communities adjacent to the stop have a high equity need, and include disproportionately low-income, minority, disabled, older adult or no-car households. That is why the City of Pittsburgh should consider prioritizing the installation of shelters at the red dot locations.
Nearly a third of Allegheny County transit riders are low-income, according to a 2014 Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) rider survey; it is very likely that the percentage of low-income riders has grown substantially since the pandemic. 38% of PRT riders are people of color, of which 28% are Black residents, which is double the total Black population in Allegheny County. Moreover, for many disabled residents, for youth, older adults, and immigrants public transit is the only means to travel to doctor’s appointments, to schools and grocery stores, jobs and childcare.
Let’s win riders a better place to wait: Contact your City Councilmember TODAY to ask them to support Councilmember Warwick’s amendment for transit amenities!
Thank you Governor Shapiro for hearing our call to flex funding and save SEPTA! Now we’re ready to support you in winning a permanent funding solution that expands access for people across our state.
Join more than 6,500 Transit for All PA! supporters who took action. Lets thank Governor Shapiro and show that we’re ready to support him in the next stage of this fight.
On November 22, 2024, Governor Shapiro flexed $150 million to save SEPTA riders & Pennsylvania’s economy. Read Transit for All PA’s full statement on the win.
Image description: illustration from PPT artist Neve Monroe-Anderson shows a public party bus with flags, banners and the operator and passengers with fists raised. Details for the Victory Party is to the right
You’re invited! Get your ticket today to join PPT’s Year-End Transit Justice Victory Party!
PPT Year-end Transit Justice Victory Party Thursday, December 19th, 6-10pm East End Cooperative Ministries 6165 Harvard Street in East Liberty, 15206
Visualize & Mobilize: We win when we have a vision of a better world and commit to building community to make it real.
Transportation is opportunity and everyone deserves access. That is true whether we’re white or black or whether we live in the City of Pittsburgh or a surrounding community.
2024 was an exciting year of growth and success for the Members of Pittsburghers for Public Transit. We won huge victories for our campaigns; including a fully-permanent half-fare program for SNAP/EBT recipients, we had one of our members get appointed to the Pittsburgh Regional Transit Board of Directors, we won a bulk fare program that can give employees access to zero fares, AND we grew the community at Pittsburghers for Public Transit to 325 active dues-paying members!
Come celebrate all of this work with the love-filled community that made it all possible at the PPT Year-end Victory party.
Accessibility information
What to expect:
The celebration will be one to remember. We’ll be inside at the East End Cooperative Ministries. The entrance is at 6165 Harvard St. The party will go from 6pm-10pm. The tickets are pay what you can, $20 suggested donation, but no one will be turned away! There will be a full dinner served free to all people who RSVP. Music will be provided by our friend DJ Juan Diego and dancing will most certainly happen. PPT members from different campaigns will talk about what it takes to win and what it means for their families and our communities. Attendees should not feel obligated to attend the entire event, so feel free to arrive and leave at whatever times work best for you.
Menu:
Catering will be provided by Salem’s. Food will include:P Veggie Samosa (Veetarian, Vegan) Meat Samosa Chicken Samosa Basmati Rice (GF, Vegan, Vegetarian) Chicken Tikka Masala (GF) Veggie Curry (GF, Vegan, Vegetarian) Spinach Paneer (GF, Vegetarian) Greek Salad (GF, Vegetarian) Walnut Baklava (contains nuts) Please specify any dietary restrictions on the RSVP form. We’ll post our final menu as soon as we order!
Accessibility:
The East End Cooperative Ministries building is an accessible space. There is a ramp into the building from the sidewalk and there is an accessible bathroom. The space has an upper and a lower area that are very close together and connected by a slightly inclined ramp. You enter the space into the upper area where attendees can mingle. The lighting will be good and consistent in this room throughout the night. The lower area will have music, dancing, speeches, and food. Lighting may be turned down for dancing and speeches. There will be interpretation in both ASL and Spanish.
Getting there:
The party is accessible through the East End Cooperative Ministries’ Enterence B, at 6165 Harvard St. There are no stairs in any of the party spaces. There is great transit access in East Liberty. Penn Ave is just two blocks away. And the East Busway stop is .3 miles, or about a 10-minute walk. There is bike parking and car parking in the parking lot. If any of these transportation modes are cost-prohibitive for you, contact PPT to discuss options, 551-206-3320 or info@ppt-test.jimkeener.com.
COVID procedures:
The party will be held indoors. Masks will be available. We encourage everyone to take an at-home COVID rapid test before arriving. Please stay home if you are feeling sick or have come into contact with someone who has COVID-19. There is an unheated outdoor space available on the sidewalk in front of the building and in the courtyard for a breath of fresh air during the event.
No one wants to wait in the wind and rain for a bus. The City of Pittsburgh’s Department of Mobility and Infrastructure controls nearly all the bus shelter in the City. They want to do better for transit riders, but they need the budget to do it!
Join PPT this Tuesday to call for a city budget to provide more bus shelters, sidewalks, and infrastructure that supports transit. Check out this map that PPT’s research committee made that shows stops inside the city that have 30 or more boardings each day – these stops need shelters and it won’t happen unless budget money gets approved. Testify with us to make it happen:
Click the button below to sign up to testify with PPT for more funding to improve bus shelters, sidewalks, lighting and infrastructure to support transit!
Thank you for helping us shape the future of transit justice in Pittsburgh!
Every year, our grassroots union engages in a collaborative planning process to chart a path for our growth in the coming year. We brainstorm ideas for our internal organizational development to create goals for how we support our members and build up the PPT family. We also brainstorm ideas for campaigns we can take on to win improvements to benefit transit riders and our communites – things like making fares more affordable, improving service, or building better sidewalks and more affordable housing.
This ongoing collaborative process between our membership, our committees, our board of directors and our staff is what makes our work so special. Everyone has a voice in our plan and everyone plays a part in making it a success.
Below are 6 target areas we want to focus on in 2025, and some ideas for specific goals within each area. We want to hear your input on them, so please share your opinions and wisdom below.
For each of the 6 goals, consider these questions as you give your feedback:
What needs to be changed or added to this plan?
What parts feel particularly aligned with PPT? What parts get you fired up for the year to come?
What seems most important to prioritize over the coming year?
How will we measure success?
All feedback is welcome–after all, you’re the expert on your own experience riding local transit!
For each step, share any thoughts you have about the listed target area and goals. If you don’t have anything to write, just write “n/a”.
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¡Gracias por ayudarnos a dar forma al futuro de la justicia de transporte público en Pittsburgh!
Cada año, nuestro sindicato de base participa en un proceso de planificación colaborativa para trazar un camino para nuestro crecimiento el próximo año. Realizamos una lluvia de ideas para nuestro desarrollo organizacional interno para crear objetivos sobre cómo apoyamos a nuestros miembros y fortalecemos la familia PPT. También hicimos una lluvia de ideas para campañas que podemos emprender para lograr mejoras que beneficien a los usuarios del transporte público y a nuestras comunidades, cosas como hacer que las tarifas sean más asequibles, mejorar el servicio o construir mejores aceras y viviendas más asequibles.
Este proceso de colaboración continuo entre nuestros miembros, nuestros comités, nuestra junta directiva y nuestro personal es lo que hace que nuestro trabajo sea tan especial. Todos tienen voz en nuestro plan y todos desempeñan un papel para que sea un éxito.
A continuación se presentan seis áreas de objetivos en las que queremos centrarnos en 2025 y algunas ideas para objetivos específicos dentro de cada área. Queremos escuchar su opinión sobre ellos, así que comparta sus opiniones y sabiduría a continuación.
Para cada uno de los 6 objetivos, considere estas preguntas mientras brinda su opinión:
¿Qué es necesario cambiar o agregar a este plan?
¿Qué partes se sienten particularmente alineadas con PPT?
¿Qué partes le entusiasman para el próximo año?
¿Qué le parece más importante priorizar durante el próximo año? ¿Cómo vamos a medir el éxito?
Todos los comentarios son bienvenidos; después de todo, ¡usted es el experto de su propia experiencia viajando en transporte público!
Para cada paso, comparta cualquier idea que tenga sobre el área objetivo y los objetivos enumerados. Si no tienes nada que escribir, simplemente escribe “n/a”.
Public transit is a public good that needs to work for everyone. With PRT’s Bus Line Redesign that proposes changes to nearly every route, every stop, and every schedule, the time is now for transit advocates to support a redesign that works for all. Before you go any further, sign-on to support this vision today:
THE CHEAT SHEET: Use this PPT Cheat Sheet for Reading the Bus Line Redesign (& Share Your Feedback with Us!)
PRT’s Bus Line Redesign proposal is a LOT to consider, with changes to nearly every route, schedule, and bus stop. That’s why we at Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT) have created a little cheat sheet to help us consider the different ways that this proposed Bus Line Redesign impacts our transit trips.
We encourage everyone to review the PRT Bus Line Redesign Draft Proposal here or join PRT at one of their upcoming pop-ups to learn more and ask questions in person. You can use the Cheat Sheet below to understand how changes will impace your access to friends and neighbors, businesses, and key community destinations. We also encourage you to share your feedback with us to help us assess what we like about this proposal and what we should organize to change.
When reviewing and giving feedback on PRT’s draft redesign, make sure that you’re considering and speaking up on all these points:
GOOD THINGS ?? What are the good things about the Bus Line Redesign that are important for you and your community to KEEP in the final proposal?
SERVICE QUALITY ?? How do the proposed Bus Route Frequencies (how often the buses come) and Span (how early and late the buses are being scheduled for on weekdays and weekends) impact you and your community?
KEY DESTINATIONS ?? What key destinations are being missed by this Bus Line Redesign proposal (eg. housing, healthcare, food access, social services, places of worship, parks, education and childcare etc)?
COMMUTE TIMES ?? Do you have concerns about the length of trips to get to key destinations in this proposed map?
ACCESSIBILITY ?? Are there any safety and accessibility issues with bus stops and nearby sidewalks and street crossings to get to destinations from the transit stops?
OTHER THOUGHTS ?? Do you have any other concerns (particularly equity concerns) or suggestions about the Bus Line Redesign that aren’t captured by the above questions?
Now, with that framework, take a minute to review PRT’s Bus Line Redesign or stop by one of the pop-ups below and then use the form below to tell us what you’re seeing! We at PPT want to develop a thoughtful, holistic public response that is informed by your knowledge.
Join PPT for a CLOSER LOOK AT THE BUS LINE REDESIGN on November 13th @ 7pm
Your Action is Needed to Ensure PRT’s Bus Line Redesign Serves Our Communties
Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) has released the first draft of the Bus Line Redesign (BLR). This new design contains the most substantial service changes proposed in our lifetime. Tens of thousands of people who use the system every day will be affected.
The redesign proposes a completely redrawn map of where transit routes will run. It includes new schedules for how frequently and how late at night buses and trains operate, and even proposes renaming all the routes in the system. Such sweeping changes have the potential for significant disruption and harm especially to predominantly marginalized communities.
It is critical to get the Bus Line Redesign right. We are committed to advocating and collaborating for an outcome that benefits all, so that we can celebrate progress together when an equitable Bus Line Redesign is implemented
Here’s how you can help us organize for the best possible outcome.
Riders and workers are organizing to demand these three things:
Don’t rush the implementation
Simplify the proposal to improve community engagement and gather meaningful feedback
The Bus Line Redesign should prioritize service to low-income communities, older adults and people with disabilities, youth, and Black and Brown riders.
Please sign on to this letter urging PRT to meet these requirements
2. Read our new advocacy report on Draft 1.0 of the Bus Line Redesign
PPT’s crack research team has taken a deep and thorough look at the redesign and produced a detailed report laying out its analysis. More importantly, it maps out a way forward to have the best outcomes for the people who depend on public transit the most.
After a tremendous effort, the research team developed seven key recommendations to help assure we end up with the best redesign. You can read it all in the Roadmap to a Bus Line Redesign for All report.
A heartfelt shout-out to Garrison Chan, Emily Howe, Tayveon K. Smith, Bobbie Fan, Andrew Hussein, Christina Mendoza, Thomas Quinn, Bill McDowell, Abhishek Viswanathan, James Larson, CMU Tech4Society, Patrick Xue, Cody Berger and Ziggy Edwards for their hard work and diligence.
The research team has also gone the extra mile and developed a number of online tools to help you learn what this massive redesign means for you as a rider. Use them to understand what the redesign’s changes will do to your neighborhood and your commute.
With this tool you can compare the specific commute time you have now with what it will be after the redesign. The research team has laid out a step-by-step procedure that works for your unique situation.
Here the team took a deep dive into what the changes in the redesign will mean for a range of specific neighborhoods. Check this list to see if your neighborhood is on it and, if so, what the impacts of the upcoming changes will be in detail for you and your neighbors.
4. Spread the Word
You can help spread the word to your neighbors that we are organizing for a Bus Line Redesign that benefits all.
Last month a dozen PPT Members posted hundreds of flyers in all corners of Allegheny County asking riders to speak up for a Redesign For All. Please join us in this organizing effort by sharing these resources as widely as you can:
Use these two versions of a flyer that you can print and hand out to your friends, neighbors, and community.
You can also share the URL of this page to your social media!
5. Enter Your Public Comments with PRT
Pittsburgh Regional Transit is gathering public input on their Bus Line Redesign online. You can add your views and suggestions or find a PRT public engagement event by using the link below. Be sure to let them know – in detail – how this redesign affects you.
Remember, you are the public in Public Transit. Together we can organize for an expanded, affordable and accessible public transit system that meets all needs, with no communities left behind.
Join PPT for a movie night to watch “UNION”, a story about the people-powered movement that won the first Amazon union in US history!
PPT Movie Night! Watch “Union” @ Harris Theater Wednesday, October 23. 8-10pm $10-$20, but no one turned away for lack of funds
Pittsburghers for Public Transit believes in the power of the people to do great things when we organize together! Come join your PPT fam at the Harris Theater to watch “UNION”. It’s an exciting new film about how Amazon workers at a Staten Island warehouse successfully organized 8,000 coworkers to win the first union at an Amazon facility in US history! We’ll get inspired together and also learn some lessons about what it takes to run winning campaigns.
Purchase your tickets below! No one turned away because of lack of funds. And if you’re able, please donate some extra to help another PPT member join us who might not have the funds to go!:
What to expect: event & accessibility details
Details: The movie is being shown by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust at the Harris Theater. PPT is purchasing a block of tickets for members to join in. The movie is scheduled to show at 8pm on October 23rd. It is 100 minutes long. Look for Dan in the lobby before the screening (white man with a mustache and yellow glasses). He can connect you with your tickets.
What to expect: This is a movie shown in a movie theater. Its dark. Talking is discouraged.
Food: Snacks, popcorn, and beverages can be purchased for full price at the concession stand
Accessibility: Location has accessible seating in the theater, and an accessible bathroom downstairs. You can see the Harris Theader’s accessibility info here.
Getting there: Many buses will bring you into downtown where it won’t be much more of a walk to get to the theater. Street parking and bike parking are available on surrounding blocks.
COVID procedures: This event is being held by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust you can view their safety procedures on their website: https://trustarts.org/pct_home/visit/safety
Whether we live in suburban towns or city neighborhoods, everyone in Allegheny County deserves safe, reliable, dignified access to the places we need to go.
Across the county, 30% of the population does not drive a car. The Week Without Driving was developed by disability advocates in Washington state and is now a national initiative, led by America Walks and the National Campaign for Transit Justice.
Locally, we’re proud to join this movement to raise awareness for greater mobility needs in every community. With Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s diminished service, crumbling sidewalks, disconnected bike lanes, and insufficient ACCESS services, the lack of investment in safe and accessible mobility options for non-drivers leaves too many residents stranded and struggling to access basic needs.
Join us in pledging to take a Week Without Driving, and call for true mobility options for all in Allegheny County. You can participate as an individual, organization or elected official.
Whether due to disability, age, or income – non-drivers come from all walks of life.
These 8 inspiring stories from Pittsburgh non-drivers show there is a spectrum of people who don’t drive a car and urge elected officials make improvements for transit, biking, and walking.
