The new state budget approved by the Legislature Thursday evening includes far less money than Gov. Josh Shapiro requested for public transit, but legislators promised to revisit the issue in the fall.
The $47.6 billion spending plan includes a one-time $80.5 million increase for transit agencies across the state. That marks the first state subsidy increase in more than 10 years.
The additional allocation will mean about $17 million more for Pittsburgh Regional Transit. Shapiro and the agencies say additional money is needed to maintain service while they recover from ridership losses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and special federal funding is running out.
Shapiro had proposed a five-year commitment of $1.41 billion — $282 million annually – to help the agencies. But the proposal was met with strong skepticism by Republicans in the Legislature since 87% of the money goes to agencies in Philadelphia (65%) and Pittsburgh (22%).
In the end, Shapiro and legislative leaders settled on the $80.5 million boost for this year. Discussions on additional funding for public transit are expected to take place in the fall.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit couldn’t be reached for comment on the state subsidy, which would have generated about $39 million a year for five years under Shapiro’s proposal. When the agency approved its $539.3 million budget in May, it said it likely would amend its spending package if any additional money was approved in Harrisburg.
At that time, the agency warned that it was projecting that it could run a deficit beginning in 2028 without a significant increase in state funding because that’s when extra federal funding and some reserves would run out. CEO Katharine Eagan Kelleman already has been lobbying legislators about the need for more funding to avoid service cuts.
The schedule for running out of the COVID-19-era money varies at transit agencies across the state. At the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority around Philadelphia, CEO and General Manager Leslie Richards told legislators last fall that the federal money would run out this year and the agency could be headed for a “death spiral” without additional funding.
A coalition of transit advocacy groups across the state known as Transit for All PA! said in a news release that the $80 million increase isn’t enough and “will only push the fiscal cliff slightly further down the road” for transit agencies across the state.
“Unfortunately, the decision by the PA legislature to pass a funding measure that falls far short of the governor’s proposed investment will not resolve the longer-term need and may still yield smaller service cuts and fare increases. And even that funding still would not give transit the opportunity for growth that riders need,” the group said.
In addition to the subsidy increase for transit, the budget includes $80.5 million in additional money for roads and bridges.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.