PPT members stand together for Visionary Public Transit on Transit Way. |
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Hi Jack,
What a year it’s been! I’m so proud of everything Pittsburghers for Public Transit achieved in 2024, especially given the challenges we faced. And we did it all thanks to our members. That’s PPT’s special sauce: we’re not just a public service organization, we’re a grassroots union of transit riders, workers, and neighbors here in Allegheny County. When you become a member of PPT, you power our fight for an expanded, affordable, and accessible public transit system that serves all of us, with no communities left behind. |
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Here are some highlights of our wins over the past year. As you read, remember that YOU are part of the WE that made it happen. In 2024, your membership, activism, and passion have carried PPT through to the finish line. |
Image Description: artwork from PPT's 2025 Year End Membership Drive |
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We brought our Representing Our Routes advocacy campaign to our legislators
- We celebrated Transit Equity Day on Feb. 5
- We launched our Community Audit of Bus Shelters
- We circulated our McKnight Road Safety Petition to demand PennDOT restore bus stops and improve pedestrian infrastructure on McKnight Road
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| SHOUT OUT!
To Jess Benner for combining strategic planning and yoga to help PPT staff stay flexible in our work and our bodies! |
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We celebrated Transit Worker Appreciation Day on March 18 by canvassing, handing out candy, adn gathering stories about service issues
- We won our fight to restart Pittsburgh's Complete Streets Advisory Group, which the city let lapse in 2019
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To Alisa Grishman for stellar work with the Complete Streets Advisory Group |
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We mobilied 100+ transit riders, workers, and political leaders to rally in Harrisburg with our Transit for All PA! partners
- We held a statewide Digital Day of Action on Earth Day on April 22
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To Kelda Gorman for delivering an inspirational speech in Harrisburg To Erik Love for bringing 10 activists from Carlisle, PA, to Harrisburg |
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We held our first-ever Spring Training for Members, which brought activists from around the country together for a day of workshops and skill-building
- We won the rollout of the Allegheny Go low income fares program, which we spent years advocating for
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To Miss Pearl Hughey and her grandchildren for making our Spring Training a success To Miss Sherai Richardson for making a powerful impact in expressing the value of the Allegheny Go program to media and public officials |
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Will you join us as a member to help us continue these wins in 2025? |
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We held our Allegheny Go Launch Party at Trace Brewing with 60 of our coalition partners
- We and our partners in Transit for All PA! mobilized our communities to send hundreds of digital lobbying letters to Gov. Shapiro demanding that he fund transit
- We partnered with Casa San Jose to host Transit Tours for new residents to help them learn to navigate the PRT system
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| SHOUT OUT!
to Evelyn Ulysse, Bernadette Mosey, and Beechview transit advocates for bringing PRT to the table for our Transit Tours, getting word out to riders, and working through unexpected Red Line closures |
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We held our Summer Member Drive and elected our new Board of Directors
- We won big when our own Bobbie Fan was appointed to the Governing Board of Pittsburgh Regional Transit
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To Bobbie Fan for his fearless advocacy for public transit |
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We launched our Allegheny County campaign for Visionary Transit Service, which sets goals for future transit system that truly works for the people
- We held our Summer Party, which brought us together and brought in many new members
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To Tayveon Kevin Smith and the incredible team at Tech for Society for help with our Visionary Transit Service Campaign To Denise Johnson for making our Summer Party a success |
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We built up to our Week Without Driving by highlighting testimonials, gathering pledges, and building relationships with partner organizations
- We pushed ahead with our Community Audit of Bus Shelters and our Transit Tours for new residents
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To Jacob Evangelista and Miss Damitra Harris-Penny for making our Week Without Driving campaign a success To Jim Keener for keeping our website safe and secure |
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| - We held our Week Without Driving from September 30 to October 7
- We launched our PPT Movie Night with a screening of Union
- We started organizing for our response to PRT's Bus Line Redesign
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SHOUT OUT! To Seth Bush and the Tech for Society team for helping us make a splash with our Bus Line Redesign response |
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We won $153 million in state funds to save SEPTA (Philly's public transit system) through our letter-writing and phone-banking campaigns
- We launched our worker organizing fellowship with four fellows: Vincent Brandon, Tom Conroy, James Hanna, and Monica Wheeler
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We overflowed our Zoom limit when we hosted PRT representatives to discuss the Busline Redesign at our monthly meeting
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| SHOUT OUT! To Abhishek Viswanathan for his research on bus shelter placements and the Bus Line Redesign |
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We won a first-ever budget for bus shelters and transit infrastructure from City Council
- We fought for and won the PRTnerPass Program, which allows businesses, landlords, and schools to buy monthly passes for employees, residents, and students at a discount
- We stood with our partners in the housing justice community to advocate for affordable housing at city government
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To Bill McDowell for all hsi activism throughout the year |
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Jack, these amazing wins are just the start. In 2025, we’re going to advocate for the Visionary Transit Service campaign we developed in August. We’re done with PRT cutting service and driving down ridership while claiming scarcity. It’s time to fund a community vision of what transit can and should be. It’s time to make PRT work for the people.
Join us in this fight! The minimum cost of joining is just $2.75, the same as one ride on PRT. And this year, the Posner Foundation has offered to match every contribution made during our Year End Member Drive up to $10,000. Turn your $100 into $200. Turn your $500 into $1,000!
Ride with us today, and make your donation monthly! Help us ride high into '25! |
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| In transit and trust, Laura Chu Wiens
Executive Director, Pittsburghers for Public Transit |
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Join our first meeting of 2025 with the Bus Line Resign in our sights! // Hybrid meeting, join in-person or on zoom // 6pm - Free Dinner & Social Hour (in person-only) // 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM Meeting
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PPT is a member-led UNION of transit riders, transit workers and neighbors. Join us today to help build power that moves our communities!
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Pittsburghers for Public Transit
5119 Penn Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
United States
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