Powell votes to provide urgent funding to PRT, says ‘this is not enough’
Rep. Lindsay Powell August 11, 2025 | 12:08 PM
HARRISBURG, Aug. 11 – State Rep. Lindsay Powell, D-Allegheny, voted to pass legislation that would provide urgently needed funding to keep public transit moving across Pennsylvania, including Pittsburgh Regional Transit. This comes as PRT plans to make significant cuts to service and increases to fares if it does not receive adequate state funding.
“I voted for this bill because PRT is in dire need of funding,” said Powell. “This is not enough to fully meet the $117 million that PRT needs to continue running at their current capacity, but we still need to make sure that our public transit has as much funding as possible.”
PRT has said that if it does not receive the state funding it needs, it will need to cut service by 35% and raise fares by more than 9% to keep operations viable. This would see the reduction of Reduced Access Paratransit and 54 bus routes, the implementation of an 11 p.m. curfew and the elimination of 41 bus routes, the silver line and extra service hours. PRT had planned to use extra service hours for before and after concerts, sporting events and during the 2026 NFL draft.
“Public transit is the lifeline in our community, allowing kids to get to school, workers to access new opportunities, and makes it so people with disabilities and the elderly have an easy way to get around,” said Powell. “Our public transit system is not just a luxury, it is a something that everyone, regardless of their income or ZIP code, deserves access to.”
The legislation, H.B. 1788, would also provide funding to other public transit agencies across the Commonwealth, including SEPTA, as well as provide for bridge and road funding across Pennsylvania.
“This bill would allow PRT and public transit across Pennsylvania to stave off some of its projected cuts,” said Powell. “We should be at a point where we are actually expanding public transit and providing better service and more opportunities for our communities. Instead, we are fighting just to keep funding for these vital programs at their current levels, which we have been doing for far too long.”
House Bill 1788 will now move to the state Senate for consideration.