State lawmakers have passed a budget after four months of negotiations, but a long-term funding solution for public transportation was not included, raising concerns among Pittsburgh residents.”That’s very terrible. A lot of people in Pittsburgh rely on public transportation, and it’s like not everybody can afford Ubers or have a car of their own,” Sarah Wheeler said.”Go ride the bus for six months and get rid of your car. Have some empathy for people and some sympathy for people that don’t have transportation and can’t afford it,” Shane Young said.Earlier this year, Pittsburgh Regional Transit leaders raised concerns of a $100 million budget deficit that could lead to at least 35% in route cuts and a 9% fare hike.Although PRT received $106 million in capital funds in September to prevent service cuts, officials say this funding will only last for about two years.”You’re right. We are on the clock, and we have an obligation to move it forward because 18 to 20 months from now, we’re going to be facing the same crisis that we just talked about over the last several months,” state Sen. Jay Costa said.State Sen. Devlin Robinson expressed similar concerns, saying in a statement:”To be clear, the bipartisan budget passed yesterday fully funds statewide public transit at $2.6 billion, including $300 million for Pittsburgh Regional Transit. PRT was also approved to use an additional $106.7 million from the Public Transportation Trust Fund earlier this year. I would still like to see a long-term, stable plan to fund public transit, and I will continue to be a vocal advocate for recurring revenue that makes sure our buses, trains, and inclines keep running strong for the people of Allegheny County who depend on them every day.”Costa said one idea being thrown around was to use skill games as a part of a potential long-term solution.”We need to take steps to first regulate them — make them legal, quite frankly, in my view — regulate them, and then make certain that they’re paying the sufficient amount of revenue, as the casinos pay with respect to slot machines. So once we do that, that will generate a revenue stream that we’ll be able to utilize not only for transit and transportation funding, but also into the general fund as well,” Costa said.State Rep. Abigail Salisbury emphasized the need for collaboration.”We could do anything that people choose to have the will to do,” Salisbury said. “If people decide they don’t want to do it, if they want to be obstructionist, then no, we won’t get it done. But if people decide that we need to work together as a state in order to function in a healthy manner, then we can get anything done that we can possibly imagine.”PRT leaders expressed their frustration over the lack of a long-term solution, but remain hopeful in a statement that said:”We appreciate the General Assembly and the Governor for passing a budget that supports many key priorities for Pennsylvanians. However, the lack of new investment in public transit leaves a major gap that still must be addressed.”In September, PennDOT granted Pittsburgh Regional Transit permission to use capital funding to support operations. While that is expected to help us close our budget deficit for FY26 and will allow us to avoid major service cuts and fare increases for the next two years, it is not a long-term solution.”PRT — and every transit agency in the Commonwealth — plays a vital role in connecting people to jobs, education, and opportunity. We look forward to continuing conversations with state leaders about a sustainable, long-term funding solution that ensures riders can continue to rely on safe, efficient, and accessible service.”Costa said that if progress is not made on finding a long-term solution, the issue will be addressed in the governor’s address next spring.”At the end of the day, it’s a high priority where we continue to talk about it through the rest of this year and into next year as well,” Costa said.

PITTSBURGH —

State lawmakers have passed a budget after four months of negotiations, but a long-term funding solution for public transportation was not included, raising concerns among Pittsburgh residents.

“That’s very terrible. A lot of people in Pittsburgh rely on public transportation, and it’s like not everybody can afford Ubers or have a car of their own,” Sarah Wheeler said.

“Go ride the bus for six months and get rid of your car. Have some empathy for people and some sympathy for people that don’t have transportation and can’t afford it,” Shane Young said.

Earlier this year, Pittsburgh Regional Transit leaders raised concerns of a $100 million budget deficit that could lead to at least 35% in route cuts and a 9% fare hike.

Although PRT received $106 million in capital funds in September to prevent service cuts, officials say this funding will only last for about two years.

“You’re right. We are on the clock, and we have an obligation to move it forward because 18 to 20 months from now, we’re going to be facing the same crisis that we just talked about over the last several months,” state Sen. Jay Costa said.

State Sen. Devlin Robinson expressed similar concerns, saying in a statement:

“To be clear, the bipartisan budget passed yesterday fully funds statewide public transit at $2.6 billion, including $300 million for Pittsburgh Regional Transit. PRT was also approved to use an additional $106.7 million from the Public Transportation Trust Fund earlier this year. I would still like to see a long-term, stable plan to fund public transit, and I will continue to be a vocal advocate for recurring revenue that makes sure our buses, trains, and inclines keep running strong for the people of Allegheny County who depend on them every day.”

Costa said one idea being thrown around was to use skill games as a part of a potential long-term solution.

“We need to take steps to first regulate them — make them legal, quite frankly, in my view — regulate them, and then make certain that they’re paying the sufficient amount of revenue, as the casinos pay with respect to slot machines. So once we do that, that will generate a revenue stream that we’ll be able to utilize not only for transit and transportation funding, but also into the general fund as well,” Costa said.

State Rep. Abigail Salisbury emphasized the need for collaboration.

“We could do anything that people choose to have the will to do,” Salisbury said. “If people decide they don’t want to do it, if they want to be obstructionist, then no, we won’t get it done. But if people decide that we need to work together as a state in order to function in a healthy manner, then we can get anything done that we can possibly imagine.”

PRT leaders expressed their frustration over the lack of a long-term solution, but remain hopeful in a statement that said:

“We appreciate the General Assembly and the Governor for passing a budget that supports many key priorities for Pennsylvanians. However, the lack of new investment in public transit leaves a major gap that still must be addressed.

“In September, PennDOT granted Pittsburgh Regional Transit permission to use capital funding to support operations. While that is expected to help us close our budget deficit for FY26 and will allow us to avoid major service cuts and fare increases for the next two years, it is not a long-term solution.

“PRT — and every transit agency in the Commonwealth — plays a vital role in connecting people to jobs, education, and opportunity. We look forward to continuing conversations with state leaders about a sustainable, long-term funding solution that ensures riders can continue to rely on safe, efficient, and accessible service.”

Costa said that if progress is not made on finding a long-term solution, the issue will be addressed in the governor’s address next spring.

“At the end of the day, it’s a high priority where we continue to talk about it through the rest of this year and into next year as well,” Costa said.