PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Regional Transit has announced plans for a 35% cut in service and a 25-cent fare increase to take effect in February 2026 to address a projected $100 million budget deficit.
According to the plans released March 20, light rail cuts would include the elimination of the Silver Line, ending service to 12 of the system’s 53 stations, and reduced service on the Red Line. Forty bus lines would also be eliminated, while service would be reduced on 53 others. There would be no service after 11 p.m., and the agency’s contracted paratransit service would see a 62% reduction of its service area and a 20% increase in fares.
PRT said the cuts are because state funding is “no longer able to meet the needs” of the agency.” While state legislation passed in 2013 provided for long-term funding, PRT said its share has not increased in more than decade in the face of rising costs. PRT used its reserve fund to fill a $50 million gap this year, it says, but that will no longer possible with the larger deficit. And federal COVID-19 relief funds have been exhausted.
“This truly is a sad day for our region. Public transit is a lifeline for communities throughout and we are not taking this proposal lightly,” agency CEO Katharine Kelleman said in a press release. “We have warned that we would face service cuts and fare increases without new funding for the past year, and we remain committed to continuing to fight for the service Allegheny County deserves. “This isn’t just a Pittsburgh problem. This is an issue facing transit agencies across the Commonwealth. We are not asking Harrisburg to bail us out. We’re asking state lawmakers to ensure that the taxes they receive from Allegheny County come back to Allegheny County.”
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the agency has already cut service four times between 2021 and 2023 as it dealt with a 50% loss in ridership. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed significant funding increases in his last two budgets, and while those have been approved by the state House, with a Democratic majority, the Republican-controlled Senate has not followed suit. Shapiro has proposed an additional $293 million in statewide transit funding this year.
Last year, Shapiro moved to transfer $153 million in federal money for road projects to address a funding shortage for the Philadelphia area’s Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority [see “Pennsylvania governor’s move averts SEPTA fare increase, service cuts,” Trains News Wire, Nov. 23, 2024]. But the SEPTA funds will run out at the end of June, meaning that agency, like PRT, is facing a major shortfall in its next fiscal year.
State Sen. Majority Leader Joe Pittman told the Post-Gazette that the state is spending more than $3 billion per year beyond what it is taking. He said it is “critical” for mass transit agencies to show they are running efficiently and that riders and local governments “are paying their fair share.” He also said road and bridge projects “must be part of any consideration of additional state funding for transportation.”
The PRT board will be asked at its March 28 meeting to approve the start of the process to prepare for the cuts, which would see the agency begin soliciting public feedback March 31 and hold public hearings in April, May, and June, ahead of the board setting the budget for the fiscal year that begins in July. “We started this process early to make sure riders have a voice and a say on these service cuts and fare increases,” Kelleman said.
PRT says the cuts will eliminate service to 19 municipalities and three Pittsburgh neighborhoods. More details on its plans are available here.
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