It may not be a permanent solution, but Port Authority riders can rest assured they will not… It may not be a permanent solution, but Port Authority riders can rest assured they will not face fare increases and service cuts in the near future.

The official announcement came Thursday afternoon, following the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission’s 47-2 approval of Gov. Ed Rendell’s $25 million stop-gap solution, which reallocated funds from highway to transit projects.

“We are very pleased the committee chose to overwhelmingly support this stop-gap solution,” said Judi McNeil, spokesperson for Port Authority. “[Thursday’s] actions will get Port Authority through June 30.”

The possibility of service cuts and fare increases will return after June, when the transit system enters into its 2006 fiscal year. Port Authority has faced a growing deficit in recent years, and officials say next year will be no different. With a predicted deficit of more than $35 million next year, Port Authority officials are looking for more help.

“This is really not the way to fund public transit,” McNeil said of the stop-gap funding plan. “We need a dedicated and predictable way to fund it.”

State politicians have reviewed several proposed solutions, but none have drawn the support needed to be passed into legislation.

The most likely short-term solution lies in more stop-gap funding. According to Rendell’s plan, the remainder of the transit projects’ $68 million can be used to alleviate the deficit until December 2006, McNeil said. Each time that money would be used, however, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission would need to approve the plan again.

A representative from the governor’s office said Rendell will support the lobbying for a long-term solution to the financial problems faced by Port Authority and its Philadelphia counterpart, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority.

“Gov. Rendell appreciates that [the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission] recognizes the need for transit funding and hopes for a legislative solution to prevent them from needing to flex funds in the future,” said Kristianna Smith, spokesperson for Rendell’s office. “For the people who depend on transit, this is a good thing.”