Port Authority can’t cut everything

Typically, the formula shoppers use when hoping to get their money’s worth is simple: You get… Typically, the formula shoppers use when hoping to get their money’s worth is simple: You get what you pay for. When prices go up, so does value. Conversely, a drop in price almost certainly means a drop in quality.

But this slogan is not universally true. When applied to the Port Authority of Allegheny County, for instance, it turns out to be completely false. Fare prices continue to rise, but quality is traveling on a downward slope.

Last week, bus fares in Allegheny County were raised from $1.60 to $1.75. This increase may seem small, but it comes in the wake of an additional 35 cent raise in April 2001. Together, the increases were enough to push the county into the ranks of the top 10 most expensive bus rates in the nation.

Port Authority officials say they are aware the increase is burdensome to their riders, but they claim the increases are necessary because of drops in state money and the struggling economy. Stephan Donahue, leader of the activist group Save Our Transit, led a rally Sept. 3 to oppose the recent actions, stating, “It’s a shame that the state of Pennsylvania forces the Port Authority to balance its budget on the backs of transit riders and employees.”

In addition to raising prices, the Port Authority slashed services by 4 percent – reducing or eliminating 35 routes – and laid off more than 110 employees, including 80 bus and trolley drivers.

These changes are disturbing, particularly because of the trend they represent – not to mention the pressure they will put on bus riders with already fixed incomes. The effect on Pitt students who ride for free may not be terribly noticeable. The transportation fee all students pay as part of tuition has gone up, but the Pitt administration insists the fee hike is not connected to the bus fare increases. Even if that’s true, students will feel the effects of the Port Authority changes when they are stuck downtown late at night with no buses running on a 24-hour schedule.

The bottom line for the Port Authority and the state of Pennsylvania is this: A company cannot charge more and provide less without repercussions from customers. The price increases are hard on the poor, the layoffs are hard on the workers and the reduced routes are hard on everyone.