Image description: collage of riders and workers with signs supporting transit, overlaid with an image of the state of Pennsylvania with a cartoon bus and the words “Transit For All PA!”
UPDATE: On Monday, April 28, Representatives Abney and Benham introduced the Transit For All PA Funding Package memo in the PA legislature, explicitly proposing our funding solutions to provide dedicated, reliable money for all transit systems to restore lost service, and put us on a path to growth across the commonwealth.
On April 2nd, 2025, hundreds of transit riders from urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania rallied over the proposed loss of public transit to their communities, and lifted up transit service needs that are currently unmet. This collection of riders, operators, and community members ratified a proposal to meet (and exceed) the funding needed to stabilize and restore public transit service for people across the Commonwealth.
Our statewide community has developed both the vision and the funding solutions for the service we deserve! Better transit – not worse- is possible, is necessary, and will be transformative.
PA Public Transit At the Brink
Pennsylvania is experiencing a statewide public transit crisis, because our state legislature has failed to increase funding for public transit for more than a decade. Beginning in FY 2026, transit agencies across Pennsylvania will hit catastrophic funding cliffs, with deep service cuts and fare increases on both fixed route and shared ride services. Transit agencies in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and municipalities across the state have announced funding cliffs that will force catastrophic cuts of up to 45% for fixed-route and paratransit service.
In recent years, transit riders in every transit system across the state have experienced service cuts as the cost to run both fixed route and shared ride service has diverged more and more from the amount that has been provided by the state legislature. For instance, in Allegheny County, 20% of overall transit service has been eliminated over the course of the pandemic, leaving many riders already stranded at the curb.
The Transit for All PA Goal
That is why our goal goes beyond maintaining our current levels of austerity service. Instead, we at Transit for All PA are aiming to restore transit service statewide to 2019 levels, with an additional 10% service expansion in regions outside of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
To do that, we calculate that $537 million is needed in new funding for FY 26. We are looking to uplift Governor Shapiro’s proposal to increase the allocation of the existing sales tax to fund public transit, but also to expand on it with commonsense and achievable tax reforms to ensure that we can stabilize, restore and expand transit to meet all our communities’ needs.
In order to reach this goal, we need to propose funding sources that will meet this need and which will increase year over year to meet inflation. Moreover, these funding mechanisms should be:
- Politically viable
- Quickly enacted
- Not disproportionately burdensome to marginalized, disabled or low income populations
- Related to transportation
- Ideally non-competitive to other basic needs through the General Fund, and dedicated to public transportation
How We are Going to Win
Additional funding is required each year to combat inflation and rising costs. Our funding package accounts for these future increases, and for minor fluctuations in revenue.
To find a solution, we underwent months’ worth of research and held lengthy discussions with hundreds of stakeholders statewide. We believe we can meet our goal with three collective funding mechanisms, together with the Governor’s proposed sales tax ALLOCATION increase.
Our funding package includes slight increases to the existing Car Rental Tax and the existing Car Lease Tax, and the enactment of a statewide Ride Hailing (Uber, Lyft) TNC Excise Tax. These combined with the Governor’s proposed increase to the sales tax allocation will ensure that the impacts of these taxes are not heavily borne by any one source.This would bring statewide transit back to 2019 levels, (and an additional 10% expansion in rural communities and small cities outside of the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh regions!) ensuring service stability for years to come. We additionally recommend future consideration of a statewide package delivery fee in line with the recently published analysis of the impacts and revenue benefits done by the Pennsylvania Independent Financial Office.
We’re building a budget that moves us! Transit is an essential, public good for economic development, healthcare access, and community connection, and we need to invest accordingly. Read our full, detailed proposal, and join our movement.