Statement attributable to Laura Chu Wiens, Executive Director, Pittsburghers for Public Transit
Ken Regal, Executive Director, Just Harvest
Karlin Lamberto, Interim Executive Director, Pittsburgh Food Policy Council
PITTSBURGH, September 27, 2022 — The Fair Fares for a Full Recovery Coalition led by Just Harvest, Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, Pittsburghers for Public Transit, and UrbanKind, and advanced by the Equitable and Just Greater Pittsburgh network, commends Allegheny County Department of Human Services (ACDHS) and Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald for their leadership in creating a public transit reduced-fare pilot project. For years, members of our coalition, along with other advocates, transit riders, and community members, have been urging Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT, formerly Port Authority of Allegheny County) to provide fare relief for low-income households. Organizations and transit riders have uplifted this call for relief and its expansive public health benefits in public testimony, op-eds, rallies, sign-on letters and in research. Many other cities provide fare relief for their low-income populations. In the Pittsburgh region, PRT fares fall heaviest on low-income households, who are the most reliant on public transit and the highest likelihood of paying the full cash fare for every trip. As such, we are excited to see this substantial step forward in providing much-needed fare relief.
This pilot is the first step towards affordable public transit, a critical human need that, if met, would unlock access to healthy food, health care, child care, employment, and all of civic life. A long-term, zero fare program for all SNAP households will ensure freedom of movement, economic opportunity, and investment in underserved areas, while strengthening the county’s transit system as a whole. We know that in cities like Kansas City and Boston, the removal of long-standing public transit cost barriers has yielded immediate, expansive benefits such as improvements to the health and employment of riders, increased ridership, bus safety, as well as decreased greenhouse gas emissions.
The Pittsburgh region could see similar much-needed benefits, but our success hinges on whether this pilot project is properly structured and evaluated. We urge PRT and the County to consider the project not as a short-term response to inflation, but as an opportunity to prove the lasting value that fare relief can bring not only to riders, but to the whole region.
PRT named “an affordable fares policy” as its second-highest policy priority in its recently-released long-range plan, specifically touting its commitment to “providing a more affordable fare structure for its lowest-income riders.” In order to fulfill that commitment, PRT must also contribute to the reduced-fare pilot program’s success and long-term financial viability, by allowing DHS a bulk rate discount for low-income fares.
Given the significant opportunity this pilot project presents to make tangible improvements to the lives of thousands of County residents, we encourage the County and PRT to continue to engage with the community and to be transparent about what will constitute project “success”. In order for this project to have a lasting positive effect on the region’s economy and individual well-being, it must ultimately transition to a permanent zero fare program for all county SNAP recipients. Towards that end, we look forward to actively supporting this project to ensure that ACDHS utilizes best practices and can obtain continued funding.
Allegheny County transit riders who receive SNAP and are interested in learning more and sharing the impacts of transit fares on their households can join a virtual meeting hosted by Pittsburghers for Public Transit on Monday, October 3: https://www.pittsburghforpublictransit.org/fair-fares-campaign-workshop
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Pittsburghers for Public Transit is a grassroots union of transit riders, workers and neighbors who organize for more equitable, affordable, and accessible public transit that meets all needs, with no communities left behind.
Just Harvest works to promote a just system of food access by addressing the root causes of hunger – systemic poverty and inequity – through policy advocacy, community-based solutions, and improving access to safety net benefits.
Pittsburgh Food Policy Council’s mission is to build a food system that benefits our communities, economy, and environment in ways that are just, equitable and sustainable.
UrbanKind Institute is a Pittsburgh-based think-and-do tank rooted in a commitment to equity and social justice, bridging the gap between community experiences, public policy and academic research. Our mission is to eliminate barriers to family thriving in over-burdened and under-resourced communities.
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