FARE’S FAIR

25-cent increase covers ConnectCard transfers

Port Authority opens comment period on ConnectCard hike.

The public will have until May 5 to comment on the Port Authority’s proposal to raise fares 25 cents to $2.75 for riders who use a prepaid ConnectCard and don’t use a transfer.

The authority’s board Friday approved a 40-day comment period on the authority’s first change in fare policy since 2017. In addition to the increase, the new policy would establish a three-hour window during which riders could transfer or take as many rides as they want without paying an extra fee.

The proposed changes would result in lower fees for many riders who transfer because they now pay $1 to transfer using a ConnectCard and pay a full separate fare if they are paying cash. Additionally, weekly, monthly and yearly passes charges will remain the same, and weekly and monthly passes won’t start until the day they are used rather than the first day of the week or month.

Overall, the agency estimates it will lose about $1 million in revenue with the changes.

Advocates such as Pittsburghers for Public Transit say the new policy still doesn’t address the inequity for low-income riders, many of whom pay cash because they don’t have enough money for a pass, and ConnectCards often aren’t available in their neighborhoods. Those riders would still pay full fares for each ride if they transfer because there is no way to verify the three-hour window for a cash fare.

Laura Wiens, executive director of the transit group, said “we need more” to address the needs of lowincome riders. The existing policy penalizes low-income riders “by design,” she said, requiring them to pay more to transfer and not capping their costs at the maximum weekly or monthly pass.

She also criticized the agency for having no public input into the recommendations despite more than two years of work by California consultant Four Nine Technologies.

Because of the pandemic, the authority expects to hold several

online meetings but plans for one in-person meeting. The changes are expected to be implemented by the end of the year, but they could come sooner if technological changes can be made.

In her remarks to the board, CEO Katharine Eagan Kelleman said the proposed changes should be made as soon as possible while the agency continues to discuss how to address cash users. Ms. Kelleman acknowledged that 8% of riders before the pandemic paid fares in cash, and cash riders won’t benefit from the proposed changes.

“As this process begins, we want to assure you we are listening,” she said. “We are coming into this with open ears. We’re going to continue to work on [relief for cash customers].”

Dana Dolney, a grassroots organizer for Just Harvest, said the proposed changes “will not close the gaps and disparities that have only grown” for low-income riders during the pandemic.

The authority’s answer that technology to accommodate more changes has been difficult to find isn’t acceptable, she said.

“After 2½ years, we deserve better answers than that,” she said.

Laura Perkins, who works with Spanish-speaking immigrants at Casa San Jose in the South Hills, said her clients often don’t qualify for driver’s licenses yet and don’t have money to buy weekly or monthly passes. As a result, the proposal “misses the mark” for that group, she said.

The board unanimously approved beginning the public comment period without any discussion.

The agency hasn’t scheduled an in-person meeting yet, but it will hold three online meetings: 1 to 4 p.m. April 22, 9 a.m. to noon April 30, and 4 to 7 p.m. May 4. It expects to announce next week how to participate in the meetings.

The meetings will be translated in American Sign Language. An additional hearing may be scheduled for Spanish speakers.

Comments also can be made through the authority’s website at www.portauthority.org/fares2021 or by mail sent to Port Authority of Allegheny County, Attn: 2021 Fare Proposal, 345 Sixth Ave., Third Floor, Pittsburgh 15222. All comments must be received by the close of business May 5.