[link removed] [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]]
Image Description: Waves and a gradient of yellow, red, and blue behind white text with white doodled waves and stars
Last chance to RSVP for the best party of the summer!
Transit riders and workers like you have been hard at work building transit justice in Pittsburgh and across the state. Join the crew to kick back, relax, and have fun with neighbors, friends, and co-conspirators 🏖️
RSVP by August 7th! [[link removed]]
The summer party will be a casual, indoor/outdoor celebration. We'll spin fun transit-oriented tunes, share yummy food, and celebrate all the incredible growth the movement has accomplished this year—and all the growth to come. It will be family friendly, with kids’ activities and childcare providers.
There's only 5 days left to register—reserve your spot today!
When & Where
Wednesday, August 12th
5:30-8:30 PM
Olympia Park Shelter House
1010 Virginia Ave
Pittsburgh, PA, 15211
RSVP for the summer party! [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]]
Image Description: PPT members pose in front of a PRT bus, raising fists and doing thumbs up with the operator
Love talking to your neighbors? Apply to be a Bus Captain!
PPT is launching a first-of-its-kind canvassing program, designed to meet transit riders where they are: the bus!
As a Bus Captain, you'd meet, develop relationships with, and build an intentional community with fellow transit riders. You'd hold 1:1 conversations with bus operators and transit riders on their specific routes, in order to identify shared issues and organizing opportunities to make this public good work better for its primary stakeholders—you!
If you want to bring the wisdom of riders on your routes to PPT's organizing, apply to be a Bus Captain today! [[link removed]]
Apply to be a Bus Captain! [[link removed]]
The Bus Captain pilot runs from July 2026 - December 2026. Participants will be required to spend 3-5 hours per month on their chosen bus routes, complete data entry tasks after each session, attend every monthly Organizing Committee meeting and be in regular contact with a PPT organizer.
[link removed] [[link removed]]
Image Description: a polaroid of two transit advocates cheering and raising fists at the PA Capitol
On July 12th, State Legislators and the Governor passed a belated state budget [[link removed]] , with no new revenue for PA transit.
For transit riders and workers, no funding this year means means it'll be harder and more expensive to get where they need to go—with catastrophic cuts happening this year in small urban areas like Lancaster and the Lehigh Valley, and major cuts and fare hikes headed to Pittsburgh, Philly, Berks, Lehigh, Northampton, and Lancaster counties in 2027.
But that's not the end of the story.
There may not be funding this year, but the grassroots movement of transit riders and workers demanding better for PA transit has never been stronger.
* PA has commissioned studies to find solutions for the paratransit and structural transit funding crises in 2027
* Transit is becoming a center issue: key Republican legislators have voiced support for new revenue sources for transit, and over 40 legislators have cosponsored the Transit for All PA! Legislative Package
* Organizing fellows have launched regional hubs in Lancaster and the Lehigh Valley , surveying their peers about transit needs, and fighting against fare hikes and service cuts
* And so much more (to the tune of 50,000 supporters, in every PA legislative district 💪)
Are you ready to join the swell of rider power, and set PA transit up for big wins in the 2027 budget fight? Use our tool to tell your legislators that transit needs new funding sources, now. [[link removed]]
Take action for transit funding! [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]]
Image Description: Downtown Pittsburgh at night, with stickers of a dollar sign and cash
Pittsburgh City Council approves controversial TRID tax plan
This summer, land developers asked Pittsburgh City Council to approve a major tax giveaway scheme that would give them up to $200 million in taxpayer dollars [[link removed]] —without any requirements around public benefit.
This so-called Downtown Transit Revitalization Improvement District (or TRID ) would move tax $ from the Strip District, Downtown, and the North Shore into the wallets of private corporations— for the next 40 years . (And despite the name, there's no guarantee that any of that money would go towards transit improvements!)
PPT members and other concerned Pittsburghers turned out in force [[link removed]] to a City Council committee meeting on July 22nd to speak out against the Downtown TRID—but Council approved it anyways, in a 6-3 vote led by Bobby Wilson and Anthony Coghill. Thanks to Councilpeople Warwick, Gross, and Mosley for their courageous stance against the plan.
This isn't the end of the story. To be fully effective, the TRID would need to be adopted by all three taxing bodies: the City, the County, and Pittsburgh Public Schools. Stay tuned for more updates as the situation progresses.
Free transit for all City Employees! [[link removed]]
Image Description: A crowd of transit riders, City employees, and elected officials holding colorful "transit moves us" signs, and decorated with confetti
All Downtown City of Pittsburgh employees now have free transit passes!
Yesterday morning, PPT members joined with elected officials and City of Pittsburgh employees to celebrate the launch of Downtown City employees' newest benefit: free transit passes through the PRTner pass program! [[link removed]]
The City of Pittsburgh is the latest and largest employer to purchase bulk fare passes for its employees through PRT's PRTner pass program—a win-win program that PPT members have called for since 2019.
With free transit passes on their side, hundreds of City employees will find their commutes more affordable, less stressful, safer, and more beneficial for Pittsburgh's roads and air quality . The PRTner pass brings sustainable income [[link removed]] to PRT, while being a great deal for employers [[link removed]] like the City (to the tune of 70% off)!
Save the date: Bus Line Refresh final plan will be released on August 17th! [[link removed]]
After many drafts and tens of thousands of comments, PRT has created its final draft of the Bus Line Refresh. [[link removed]] The plan will be publicly released at 8 AM on August 17th, at which point PPT's Research Committee will get to work understanding the changes between this draft and the last one, and which communities stand to benefit and lose the most.
Here's what public engagement will look like for this next phase of the BLR:
* August 17th: Plan released in full detail
* August 18th: Public information session webinar. [[link removed]] This will be a high-level, abstract overview of the new draft, with limited time to ask questions of PRT staff. (Note: no public comments will be recorded during this meeting.)
* August 25th: Public hearing [[link removed]] , Downtown at the Heinz 57 Building
* September 10th: Public hearing [[link removed]] , Downtown at the Heinz 57 Building
* September 30th: Public comment period ends
* November 2026: Anticipated final vote
The Bus Line Refresh is a massive change to our system, and each draft contains a lot of information to parse. You can read about how PRT can use the Refresh as a tool to benefit our region [[link removed]] , and get up to speed on past [[link removed]] drafts [[link removed]] of the Refresh [[link removed]] , at our blog.
Learn more about the final BLR draft [[link removed]]
News from the PPT universe 🌌
* 412 Justice is fighting PPS school closures by filing a civil rights complaint on behalf of five Black students. The complaint, co-filed with Education Rights Network and the Advancement Project, asserts that Black students would be disproportionately harmed by the school closures. You can sign on to a petition standing with the families of affected students [[link removed]] , calling on PPS to cease the plan, restart a new plan with less discriminatory metrics, and incorporate feedback of harmed students and their families.
* If you live or work in Ross Township, this is your chance to shape the Township's comprehensive plan! Ross Township is conducting a community survey in hopes to update its comprehensive plan [[link removed]] —the long-term roadmap that guides decisions about housing, transportation, development, parks, and community services for years to come. Learn more and take the survey! [[link removed]]
* Build community at the Human Rights City Alliance Cookout & Potluck! Enjoy food and fun with a great roster of community partners on Sunday, August 30th at Frick Park's Forbes and Braddock Shelter, from 1-4 PM. Sandwiches are provided, but guests are invited to bring a side, beverage, or dessert to share! [[link removed]]
Upcoming Events:
🕺 Rider Power on the Horizon: PPT's Summer Party! [[link removed]]
Wednesday, August 12th, 5:30-8:30 PM, Olympia Park
RSVP by August 7th!
🔎 PPT & Transit for All PA! Research Committee [[link removed]]
Friday, August 7th, 3-4 PM, virtual
📝 PPT & Transit for All PA! Communications Committee [[link removed]]
Tuesday, August 18th, 6:00-7:00 PM, virtual
🚶PPT Sidewalk Audit: Hill District [[link removed]]
Saturday, August 22nd, 10:00 AM-12:00 PM, IN PERSON in the Hill District
[[link removed]] [[link removed]] Pittsburghers for Public Transit is a grassroots union of transit riders, transit workers and neighbors. Get involved with PPT: Come to an upcoming event [[link removed]]
[link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]]
Pittsburghers for Public Transit
5119 Penn Ave.
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
United States
If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please
unsubscribe: [link removed]