HARRISBURG -- A contingent of 150 union members, many of them drivers and other workers at the Allegheny County Port Authority, held a demonstration today in the Capitol rotunda to demand that the Legislature approve more money for transit agencies in the state starting July 1.

Loud cries of "Dedicated funding! Dedicated funding for mass transit!'' rang through the Capitol, as protestors urged legislators to increase funds for buses, trolleys and trains run by the Port Authority, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and other agencies around the state.

"It's not just a Pittsburgh and Philadelphia problem,'' said Port Authority union President Patrick McMahon. "This affects Reading and Wilkes-Barre and Scranton and Altoona and Erie. People need transit to get to work, doctors' appointments and for shopping.''

The Legislature provides about $825 million a year currently for 70 transit systems of various sizes around the state. Gov. Ed Rendell wants legislators to pass a tax on oil company profits that would raise an additional $760 million in the new fiscal year that starts July 1, but almost no legislators have signed onto that idea. Demonstrators called on the Legislature to find some other source of additional revenue if they don't like the oil tax idea, but so far no alternative revenue measures have come forth.

Mr. McMahon said transit agencies are being forced to reduce service, which especially hurts students, senior citizens, disabled people and people who don't own cars. Cutting service also increases traffic congestion, makes it harder to find a parking space and increases Pennsylvanians' dependence on foreign oil, he said.

"This Sunday is D-Day for us'' in the Pittsburgh area, with 15 percent of the Port Authority routes to be cut and about 200 people to be laid off at the Port Authority, he said.