PGHIMC - Pittsburgh Independent Media Center

PORT AUTHORITY RIDERS TO RALLY & MARCH FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT FUNDING ON APRIL FOOLS DAY.
by Stephen Donahue Tuesday, Mar. 30, 2004 at 12:35 PM
sdonahue412@hotmail.com

PORT AUTHORITY RIDERS TO RALLY & MARCH FOR PUBLIC TRANSIT FUNDING ON APRIL FOOLS DAY.

Sick of annual threats of massive service cuts and fare hikes, Save Our Transit wants to tell Pennsylvania policy makers to, “Quit playing public transit riders for a bunch of fools.”

On Thursday, April 1, 2004 at 12 o’clock noon at PNC Park on the corner of Federal Street and W. General Robinson Street, on the North Side, Port Authority riders will rally and then march to the State Office Building at 300 Liberty Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh. They will be demanding that the PA General Assembly find the reliable and dedicated funding needed for public transit so that each year projected operating budget deficits do not threaten riders with service cuts and fare hikes.

Last year the Port Authority facing an operating budget deficit of $19 million considered ending all night time and Sunday service. Public transit riders got lucky last year with an emergency band aid that included $10 million flexed from a highway project on I-79. This year with a projected deficit of $30 million the Port Authority is talking about cutting all weekend and night time service and raising the base fare to $2.00. This year bus and trolley riders most likely won’t be as lucky as they were last year. “More nails in the public transit coffin”, says Save Our Transit co founder Stephen Donahue. “Public transit in Pennsylvania is bleeding to death and the foolish legislators in Harrisburg are just letting it die”, he adds.

Save Our Transit wants to send out a wake up call to fellow riders on April 1. “Given the lack of the political spine to fund public transit, every bus and trolley rider in the region must become a public transit activist” says bus rider Bill Rounsley. The group also is sending an angry message to, “all the fools Harrisburg that they had better get public transit the
dedicated and reliable funding that it needs, or else!” And “we ain’t foolin” they add.



For more information call Stephen Donahue at 412-361-3022 (wk) or 412-802-6542 (hm)


SAVE OUR TRANSIT
No More Fare Hikes! No More Service Cuts!

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