Those riding Westmoreland County’s transit system are not in danger of massive service cuts like the ones facing those who rely on Pittsburgh Regional Transit, county transportation officials said this week.
“We are not there. I don’t think we’re at that point yet,” said Alan Blahovec, executive director of the Westmoreland County Transit Authority.
The Westmoreland transit authority has two years’ (funding) in reserves, Blahovec said. If there are service cuts in the near future, that likely won’t happen until the 2026-27 fiscal year, and they would be small ones, Blahovec said Friday.
“We still have a fiscal cliff out there,” Blahovec said.
In the next two months, Blahovec said, he will talk with the board about the budget for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The authority has a $16.5 million budget in a fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30.
By contrast, Pittsburgh Regional Transit announced this week that its staff is recommending that the PRT board approve a 25-cent fare hike and the elimination of 41 of its roughly 100 bus routes and the agency’s light-rail Silver Line because of its $100 million deficit in 2026. PRT CEO Katherine Kellerman told a board committee a $1.8 billion shortfall is projected over the next decade.
Blahovec said covid relief funding has helped Westmoreland transit cover the deficit.
Gov. Josh Shapiro has proposed in his 2025-26 budget allocating an additional $292.5 million into mass transit statewide and increasing that amount to $330 million in the 2029-30 fiscal year.
Whatever increase in mass transit funding that the General Assembly might approve for the upcoming fiscal year, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority, which serves the Philadelphia area, will get a significant amount of that increase, Blahovec said. SEPTA has a deficit of about $240 million, according to news reports.
In other matters, the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1738 President Jeremy Morgan notified the authority board that the union wants to meet with the newly constituted board to discuss issues and improve relations with the board.
Westmoreland County Transit Authority Board Chairman Anthony Lizza said after the meeting he is in favor of such a meeting, which would not touch on wages. The transit union, which represents about 50 drivers and mechanics, reached a three-year deal in October.
The county commissioners this week replaced Frank Tosto, longtime board member and the chairman, with Roy Bodnar.
