Getting Transit Back on Track Public transportation is key to the success of Pennsylvania’s economy and to the quality of our environment. However, public transit is severely under-funded, and the funding that it does receive on an annual basis from state and local government is unreliable. The funding crisis culminated in early 2005 with a serious budget deficit that forced transit agencies all across the Commonwealth, large and small, to propose cutting service and raising fares just in order to balance their annual operating budgets. As a result, transit agencies have been focused only on maintaining a basic level of service, putting aside much-needed transit service improvements and longer-term capital projects. At the last minute, Governor Rendell provided temporary relief, shifting funding into public transit that would carry these agencies through December 2006. That 'end-of-the-year' deadline has since come and gone. A permanent, dedicated mechanism for adequately funding public transit is needed by July 1st, before these threats of severe service cuts and fare hikes become a reality for riders. If a statewide dedicated funding source for public transit is not secured by July 1st, SEPTA riders face a 31% increase in fares and 20% across-the-board weekday service cuts. This could result in a 20% ridership loss, which would mean that all of those passengers will choose driving or another alternative to get around. Other transit agencies are proposing equally severe fare hikes and service cuts. In early 2005, Governor Rendell, by Executive Order, established the Pennsylvania Transportation Funding and Reform Commission. The Commission was responsible for investigating the lack of an adequate, dedicated, predictable funding source for Pennsylvania’s public transit systems and for developing a list of recommendations on how to solve the public transit funding crisis. In addition, the Commission was charged with looking into the needs of state-owned highways and bridges. The Commission issued its final report and recommendations, titled "Investing in Our Future: Addressing Pennsylvania's Transportation Funding Crisis," to the Governor and the Pennsylvania General Assembly in mid-November 2006. The Commission recommended that a dedicated funding source be established that funds public transit to the tune of $760 million annually statewide. Public transit plays a critical role in curbing air pollution and global warming by removing the number of vehicles congesting area roads and highways. Many areas across Pennsylvania are chronically in non-attainment of the federal health standards for ground-level ozone, otherwise known as smog. Cars and trucks are the largest contributor to the pollutants that cause ground-level ozone. The transportation sector is also quickly becoming the single largest source of global warming pollution. Public transit provides a key solution – on average, one bus can remove 40 cars from area roads, while one train can remove 120 cars. Quality public transportation is the lifeblood of urban and suburban communities, allowing the elderly to maintain mobility, young people to get to and from school, and commuters to travel car-free. Public transit makes cities and their surrounding communities, both small and large, more desirable places to live and work. Please use the form below to tell your state legislators to secure adequate, dedicated, predictable funding for public transit by July 1st!

November 20, 2009 Subject: I write to express my concern over the lack of an adequate, dedicated, predictable funding source for public transportation in Pennsylvania. For far too long, public transit riders have been forced to deal with the annual threat of severe transit service cut backs and fare hikes. Without acting by July 1st on the most basic funding levels recommended by the Pennsylvania Transportation Funding and Reform Commission, this threat will become reality. And these basic funding levels don't even begin to address the much-needed transit service improvements and longer-term capital projects that require a more substantial investment. I understand that finding a solution to the public transit funding crisis poses not only a financial challenge, but also a political one. I urge you to work with your colleagues in the state legislature to rise to these challenges and create a dedicated, adequate, predictable funding source for public transit by July 1st that provides no less than $760 million annually for transit agencies statewide, as recommended by the bi-partisan Transportation Funding and Reform Commission. Please act now to ensure that the current and future public transit needs are met for all Pennsylvania residents. Sincerely, We will add your signature from the information you provide.		First Name* Last Name* Email* Street* Street 2 City* State/Province* Select a state Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware D.C. Florida Georgia Guam Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Armed Forces (the) Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Pacific Alberta British Columbia Manitoba Newfoundland New Brunswick Nova Scotia Northwest Territories Nunavut Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon Territory Other Zip/Postal Code* Send an Email