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PrintPort Authority today will unveil a plan to cut transit service by 35 percent, eliminate 48 routes and raise the one-way fare for some riders to $4 to fill a projected $50 million budget deficit.
The service cuts, deepest in the authority's 54-year history, would take effect Jan. 9 and leave more than 50 communities that currently have transit service with none.
Effective Jan. 2, base fares would rise by 25 cents -- to $2.25 in Zone 1 and to $3 in Zone 2. But Light Rail Transit riders and users of 13 suburban express bus routes would be charged a new "premium" fare of $4. The authority said its cost of providing service on those routes exceeds $4 per passenger.
The service cuts, which the authority is blaming on inadequate state funding, would affect every route in the Port Authority system, spokesman Jim Ritchie said. At least 500 of the authority's 2,700 employees would lose their jobs.
PDF"We have no choice but to do what we're doing," he said. "We have no other options."
Authority officials have warned for months that rising costs of salaries, health care, pensions and fuel, coupled with state aid that has remained flat in the past five years, were building toward a crisis that could devastate the system. The authority provides nearly 230,000 rides on a typical weekday and carried 67 million passengers last year.
The troubles worsened when a key component of the state's Act 44 transportation funding law, tolling Interstate 80, was rejected by the Federal Highway Administration in April. That would have provided the Port Authority with about $27 million.
The toll rejection caused an immediate statewide transportation funding shortage of $472 million, which so far the Legislature has done nothing to address. Gov. Ed Rendell this week said he wants to summon lawmakers back to Harrisburg next month to deal with the problem.
Port Authority officials say the planned cuts can be reversed if the Legislature provides additional funding. The cuts and fare increases are being announced now to meet legal requirements for public involvement.
"The federal government's decision to not approve tolling on Interstate 80 has created a statewide transportation funding crisis and it's hitting home today," authority CEO Steve Bland said. "It's unfortunate we have to propose such drastic steps, but we will continue to seek a resolution along with our state leaders."
The Port Authority will open a public comment period on the service reductions and fare increases next Wednesday through Aug. 31. Comments can be submitted in writing or on the authority's website, www.portauthority.org.
It will hold an all-day public hearing on Aug. 19 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown.
The authority board would vote on a final package of cuts and fare increases at its Sept. 24 meeting.
The plan calls for cutting service hours by 35 percent. That would leave the authority with just over half of the service it offered as recently as three years ago, when it implemented a 15 percent cut.
Among the 50-plus communities that would be left with no service are East McKeesport, Franklin Park, Glassport, Hampton, Indiana Township, Liberty, Marshall, North Versailles, Pennsbury Village, Port Vue, South Park and Wall, and the city neighborhoods of Banksville and Spring Garden. Service to the Edgewood Towne Centre and Robinson Town Centre shopping complexes would be abolished, the agency said.
More than 60 areas would suffer "significant service loss," the authority said, including Brentwood, Bridgeville, Coraopolis, Downtown, Greenfield, Highland Park, Homestead, Lawrenceville, McKees Rocks, McKeesport, Mt. Lebanon, Oakland, Penn Hills, Scott, Sewickley, Shadyside, Shaler and West Mifflin.
The Brown Line on the Light Rail Transit system, which serves Pittsburgh's Allentown section, would be eliminated.
On 13 routes, including the Blue Line-South Hills Village, all weekend service would be eliminated. On six others, Sunday service would be discontinued.
Special bus service operated from suburban locations to Heinz Field for Steelers games would be eliminated.
Every Port Authority route would have fewer trips during off-peak hours as the authority tries to preserve as much rush hour service as possible, Mr. Ritchie said.
Nearly half of the Downtown work force uses public transit, according to the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. The proposed cuts could add thousands of cars to congested parkways and exacerbate the Golden Triangle's parking shortage.
The authority also is preparing for the next round of planned route changes that are part of a systemwide service overhaul that started in April to improve efficiency.
On Sept. 5, more than 80 routes will have changes, including 12 routes eliminated and several getting new numbers, names, timetables and routings.
Some of those changes could be short-lived.
West Busway routes are being revised to add more trips and restore service to Oakland starting in September. Come January, if the cuts are made, the Oakland service would be terminated and the G1 West Busway-All Stops route discontinued.
A new 93 Lawrenceville-Oakland route that debuts in September would be abolished in January.
The September reorganization and proposed January cuts would leave the authority with about 83 routes. It currently has about 162.
The service plan will be presented today to the authority board's Planning and Development Committee.
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