Nearly 65 percent of the people who use fixed-route services in Pennsylvania have no alternate means of transportation, and nearly 60 percent of Washington County transit authority Freedom Transit’s riders have no alternative.
“Strong public transportation isn’t just a big-city issue – it’s a lifeline for many of our residents here in Washington County,” Sheila Gombita, executive director of Freedom Transit, said. “From helping seniors stay independent to connecting workers with jobs, transit keeps our community moving forward. Today we heard about a range of unmet transit needs that we can’t address with current funding. Without increased state investment in public transit and changes to the funding structure for Shared Ride service, we face major service cuts and fare increases that will hurt those who rely on us most.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s public transit budget proposal would provide public transit statewide with an additional $80.5 million. Funding would provide additional investment in fixed-route service and help stabilize shared-ride services.
Freedom Transit is updating its Transit Development Plan (TDP), a five-year blueprint for improving services, and began the community input phase to identify the county’s top transit needs and gathering feedback on current service.
Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to use the Commonwealth’s Find My Ride tool to apply for transportation assistance programs.