Port Authority riders say they are worried that possible route cuts could leave them without a way to get to work or to child-care centers.

Among the options being considered to fill a looming $51 million budget gap is eliminating late-night and weekend service.

That would mean problems for daily rider Lorna Berkes of the West End. "I work nights, and I have to take the bus," she said Friday while waiting at a bus shelter on Fifth Avenue.

Kea Smith of Homewood doesn't have a car, and she relies on public transportation to pick up and drop off her children at day care. "And how am I going to go grocery shopping?" she asked.

Riders who use Port Authority buses and light-rail trains could see a 20 percent service cut and higher fares unless the state comes up with significant additional aid, Steve Bland, CEO of the public transit agency, warned Friday at the monthly meeting of the Port Authority board.

"The message to the Legislature is that the funding crisis is not your fault ... but it is your problem and you better fix it," Mr. Bland said. The alternative is service cuts, layoffs and fare increases that would be "Draconian, damaging and irreversible," he said.

He declined to speculate on how large a fare hike might have to be to help balance the agency's books for the fiscal year that begins July 1. He also warned that 300 to 400 Port Authority workers could be laid off if new sources of revenue are not found. The transit agency has about 2,750 employees.

The Port Authority already has trimmed its annual operating expenses by $52 million by eliminating bus routes and cutting staff and benefits, Mr. Bland said.

The Federal Highway Administration's decision in April to turn down a second state request to make Interstate 80 a toll road has created a transportation crisis in Pennsylvania, Mr. Bland said. Those tolls were expected to raise more than $470 million to be shared by transit authorities across the state and by PennDOT to maintain roads and bridges.

Now the Port Authority and other transit agencies are seeking new reliable sources of annual operating revenue at the same time that the state is facing its own billion-dollar budget deficit.

Gov. Ed Rendell has called a special session of the Legislature to deal with the transportation funding gap. The House Transportation Committee plans statewide hearings to gather opinions and information on possible solutions. One public session will be held at 11 a.m. June 18 at Gateway High School in Monroeville.

Jonathan Robison, president of the Allegheny County Transit Council, a volunteer organization of frequent riders, urged the Port Authority board to delay approving a new budget until it becomes clearer what the state Legislature will do. He urged the agency to operate instead on a month-to-month basis.

That approach drew support from Patrick McMahon, president of Local 85 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, which represents most Port Authority workers. Such a plan would be fairer to workers and riders, he said.

Port Authority Chairman John A. Brooks said the board would consider month-to-month, or contingency, budgeting.

Business owners, whose workers depend on buses and light-rail service to get them to their jobs, should lobby legislators to support public transit, he said.

Looking for more from the Post-Gazette? Join PG+, our members-only web site. You'll get exclusive sports content, opinion, financial information, discounts from retailers and restaurants, and more. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.