My comments at the P.R.T. Board meeting, September 26, 2025

 Good morning, members of the Board, Ms. Kelleman, elected officials and other dignitaries.

My name is Stuart Strickland, McCandless Township, and I speak only for myself, though I am the current Secretary of ACTC, the official citizens' advisory group to the P.R.T. Board.

I am here to help answer the question, what can YOU -- the Board -- do in this situation. I will not waste time on suggestions what Harrisburg should do, or asking you to do the impossible, or things that are out of your control. There are things that P.R.T. staff can do, and it's your job to help focus their efforts in that direction.

The Allegheny County Transit Council is your friend. Your sounding board. Your rider representatives, chosen by riders themselves. That is what we were legislated to provide and that's what we've been doing since its predecessor organization, TAP -- Transit Advocates and Patrons -- was formed in 1980.

Back in 1994, ACTC developed a 10-point plan for helping make transit service more desirable. Copies of this hung in the Board room at Manchester, and every operating division, for many years. It's worth re-stating it here:

What the Rider Expects

Every transit rider is entitled to expect:

1. To be treated like a paying customer whose business is important.

2. To receive pleasant, calm and patient service from all transit personnel.

3. To board a clean, trash-free, and appropriately heated or cooled vehicle, and have a seat if traveling a longer distance.

4. That the vehicle will stop, at the curb if possible, will be on time, and that the driver will check the area for additional riders before leaving.

5. To be driven safely, as smoothly as the road allows, and free of quick stops, lurching starts and hard turns.

6. To have a transit trip cost less than a similar trip by automobile, and not take significantly more time.

7. To have convenient access to readily understandable fare, scheduling and routing information.

8. To be able to tell when and where to board the vehicle, and figure out where it is going before boarding it.

9. That any changes to the schedule or routing will occur infrequently and be made with adequate advance notice.

10. To have complaints, concerns and suggestions accepted, acted upon promptly, and to be advised of the action(s) taken.

I know you cannot force Harrisburg's hand, but you and the staff can make the lot for the transit rider more attractive, despite all the gloom and doom from the public and hostile media.

I think it comes down to this: Listen to ACTC, do what's on that 10-point list, and be vocal about what you are doing well.

Thank you for the opportunity to speak.

My testimony at the transit hearing, April 29 2025

Good morning Ms. Kelleman, members of the Board, elected officials and other dignitaries present.

I cannot be the only person in this situation. Yes, I have a reliable car, a clean license, and can afford to drive and pay to park downtown. But I don’t want to! Why should I be forced to part with $25 to $30/day just to keep my car close to my work? And be forced to get stuck in traffic both direction? That’s nuts.

Let me put it simply: I take the bus by choice. I do not want that choice removed.

35 years ago, I had four cars and put 60,000 miles on the fleet each year. But a temporary move made a transit commute possible, and I found I liked it. On our next permanent move in 1991, we chose to live near a bus line. In three short years, we retired three of those cars and lived with only one for the next 18 years. The money we saved not keeping multiple cars on the road allowed us to pay off the mortgage eight years early, paid for my Masters degree, allowed us to live on one moderate income, and we still became debt free by our 50s. All because I could use the transit system for over 90% of my travel needs.

In 1995 I was only making $36,000 a year. I don’t know what that is in today’s money but it sure isn’t six-digit territory! Using the bus saved my family $12K/year in today’s money, 18 years in a row. That $12K is triple-A’s estimate of what it costs to run a car for a year.

I want everyone to have the same opportunities I had! I ask everyone here, what would you do with an extra $12K/year? Pay off debt? Get out from under that college loan or that second mortgage? Go back to school? Take a vacation? Start a business? My wife and I not only paid off the mortgage early, we also put both our kids through college. Further still, not keeping two/three/four cars running helped us keep the one older car running longer, so we were able to put off its replacement by five years, then pay cash in full when we did replace it.

In short, transit is not a government handout for the poor. For those of us a little higher on the ladder, it meant major quality of life improvements, all because I chose to use transit.

To reiterate:

·       I do not want only to avoid these cuts.
·       I also want the 2011 cuts reversed.
·       I also want the 2007 cuts reversed.
·       I also want the 2002 cuts reversed

SO THAT everyone can have the same opportunities that I had!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak.