Oakland responds to possibility of Port Authority cuts

The Pitt News approached pedestrians on Forbes Avenue last week to get their opinions about… The Pitt News approached pedestrians on Forbes Avenue last week to get their opinions about the proposed cutbacks to Port Authority transit services. More than half of those questioned were unaware of the breadth of the cuts and did not know the transit system is scheduled to hold public hearings later this month.

The Pitt News: What do you think of the recently proposed Port Authority cutbacks? How, if at all, will they affect you?

“It affects a lot of people, not just Pitt students. People in the community depend on it. Not everyone works 9 to 5. I can’t propose a different resolution. It won’t have any affect on my riding patterns.” — Chris Paone, Post-Baccalaureate

“It will be hard on everyone. I use it to get to and from school. I live in Squirrel Hill, and especially, if I stay late for a class, it will affect me. I think this can promote drunk driving on weekends, because a lot of kids use the bus to get home. A ton of people use it and are struggling for money. They can’t afford an extra dollar or two that they can be using for other things. I have a car, but it is a pain to bring it to Oakland. But if I don’t, it will be hard to get back.” — Laura Chessa, Pitt sophomore, Squirrel Hill

“That would be horrible, because $2.75 is a lot of money. People need to get to work. You might as well have no buses at all, if you’re going to cut service that much. I don’t have a car, so yeah, both the fare raise and the cuts would hurt me.” — Alexandria Fitzgerald, Duquesne University

“It will be bad for people, especially [those] who go to work. It probably won’t affect me very much.” — Kendra Zimmerman, Pitt senior, South Oakland

“I kinda feel bad for Port Authority. They are bankrupt. It doesn’t benefit anyone right now; more people have to pay. It’s just a sucky situation all around. It will probably affect me. I use it on weekends. I live up in North Oakland, so it’s hard to get places. I think it will cause a problem with the nightlife, too.” — Dara DeChellis, Pitt junior, North Oakland

“You have to do what you have to do. It’s going to hurt the entire student populations. We live in Oakland. We stay up late; because of this, you can’t really do anything after 9 and on the weekend. I have a car, but I try not to drive; knowing this, I’ll just take the car.” — Tim Emigh, Pitt junior, Center Plaza

“Students used to be able to reap the benefits of the Pitt ID. Not anymore. I have a car, so it’s not a big deal for me.” — Justin Gratz, junior, South Oakland

“Pittsburgh is a pretty big city to not have buses running a lot on Saturday and Sunday, when students don’t have classes. It’s bad. I do ride the bus. I live off campus, and this will make getting around harder — especially in the winter, and the summer, when it’s hot.” — Shirley Cunniham, Pitt sophomore, South Oakland

“I haven’t been using it as often. Once I run out of things to do on campus, I would. It’s going to be bad. You have to rearrange your schedule because of it. It will be hard on the freshmen who live here and can’t have their car on campus.” — Hannah Gibson, Pitt freshman, Tower B

“It sucks. If you want to go to the South Side, you have to go before 9, and you’re taking a taxi back.” — Ben Hopson, Pitt senior, South Oakland

“It’s a bad idea. It will affect people a lot. I don’t ride, but a lot of students ride a lot. They can’t go home, then. They should get the funding. The elderly need this busing more than we do.” — Adam Viccaro, Pitt junior, South Oakland

“I’m an economics student, so I’m wary of any public policy that increases taxes in any way. I’m for increased privatization of mass transit. It’s pretty inefficient, though. Putting these funds into it is going to make it even less efficient. I do ride, and it generally wouldn’t affect me. If there was a demand for the services, people would be willing to pay more. They could change the fare, [so] that after 9 or on weekends, it is more expensive.” — Johanna Schwartz, Pitt senior, North Hills