Pittsburgh-area transit agency OKs cuts, fare hike

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The board of the transit agency serving Pittsburgh and its suburbs has approved a $333 million budget that includes the largest service cuts in its 48-year history.

The Port Authority of Allegheny County budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 is 10 percent smaller than last year’s $370 million budget. It includes 560 layoffs, fare hikes of at least 25 cents for all routes, and cutting 46 of 102 bus routes.

The budget approved today assumes the authority won’t settle with its largest union whose contract expires June 30. If the union accepts concessions, some cuts and fare increases may not be needed to cover a projected $64 million deficit.

Some cuts could also be reversed if state funding increases by September. But state officials have conditioned more subsidies on the authority obtaining union concessions.