As PA Enters State Budget Overtime, Transit Riders Launch Summer of Action, Demanding a State Budget with NEW Revenue Options for Transit Access Across the Commonwealth
This July, as State Legislators left Harrisburg without passing a budget by the required June 30th deadline, transit riders and transit workers across the state have geared up their advocacy for expanded transit funding in the state budget.
The Transit for All PA! Summer of Action is calling on legislators to pass the budget, and support new funding sources for the Commonwealth’s growing transit needs. Transit advocates have identified new funding sources in the Transit for All PA! Legislative Package. When combined with Governor Shapiro’s proposed budget, this package would expand transportation access for Pennsylvanians in every PA County, rural and urban, to move our state forward.
Transit advocates scheduled press conferences in Philadelphia, phone banks across the state, and launched a new letter campaign. More than 50,000 Pennsylvanians residing in every House and Senate District have contacted their elected officials and Gov. Shapiro, demanding new, expanded, dedicated transit funding sources since last year.
Timeline: The Transit for All pA! summer of action
- June 3, Harrisburg: 100+ Transit riders and workers from across PA call for funding solutions at the State Capitol
- June 24, Statewide: Action Alert sent to 50,000 transit supporters in every PA county
- June 25, Statewide: Statewide advocacy phone bank
- June 26, Philadelphia: Transit for All PA! Press Conference with elected officials
- June 30th, Lancaster: Public testimony at hearing for Red Rose Access fare increase
- July 7th, Lehigh Valley: Supporters call for new state funding at LANTA board meeting
- July, Lancaster: Launch next phase of Lancaster Transit Rider Organizing
- July, Lehigh Valley: Launch next phase of Lehigh Valley Transit Rider Organizing
- August, Scranton: Transit Rider/Worker Organizing Drive launch
- August, Wilkes-Barre: Transit Rider/Worker Organizing Drive launch
What’s at stake
“There is no more denying it. PA Legislators need to open new revenue streams to support public transit so that every PA community can thrive, whether rural or urban, black or white, rich or poor.” said Connor Descheemaker, Statewide Campaign Manager at Transit for All PA!. “Public transit an essential public good that benefits everyone—whether you ride the bus, or whether you depend on the healthcare, grocery store, or sanitation worker who does.”
The need for new transit funding sources in PA is at crisis levels. Since the start of 2026, service cuts and fare hikes have severely impacted smaller communities across the state. In January, despite growing transit ridership and population, LANTA in the Lehigh Valley was forced to raise fares and cut service. At the start of July, Red Rose Transit in Lancaster announced a public hearing on proposed fare increases for its paratransit system, which moves many of the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians—disabled people and older adults—to healthcare, grocery stores and jobs. More cuts and fare hikes are coming to other rural and small transit systems across the state, as PA’s two largest transit agencies face fiscal cliffs in the coming year.
Sherry Mergner, a Westmoreland County resident, whose autistic son uses the Westmoreland County Transit Authority, urged legislators at the June 3 Transit Day of Action at the State Capitol to create new transit funding for rural transit systems. “Reliable transportation should not determine whether someone can accept a job, reach the doctor’s office, or fully participate in their community. My son, Noah, relies on paratransit not only to get to work, but also to access many of the activities that contribute to his health, well-being, and independence.”
Take Action for Transit Funding
Transit funding must be a top priority in the state budget! Alongside a new funding model for shared-ride and paratransit services in all 67 counties, we can deliver new revenue for our entire Commonwealth.
