Monroeville resident Shane Beachy does not want to quit his job as a cook at Trafford restaurant Veronica’s On Cavitt.
But, if Pittsburgh Regional Transit follows through on a proposal to eliminate service to the borough, Beachy, 49, may have no choice.
The transit agency is weighing a 25-cent fare hike and widespread service cuts as it faces a $100 million 2026 budget deficit and what it called insufficient state funding.
Effective next February, single-ride fares would rise to $3 — among the highest public transit fares in the country. Proposed service reductions would eliminate the agency’s light-rail Silver Line and 41 of its roughly 100 bus routes.
This would cut bus service from three Pittsburgh neighborhoods and nearly 20 Allegheny County municipalities, such as Harrison and Brackenridge. It also would eliminate the agency’s only stop in Westmoreland County, at the intersection of Fifth Street and Cavitt Avenue in Trafford.
“This is my life,” said Beachy, who doesn’t own a car or have a driver’s license. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do if that happens.”
Cuts could remove bus stop in Trafford
Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s Route 69 runs from Monroeville to Trafford and nearby Pitcairn and Wilmerding before heading northwest into Wilkinsburg and Pittsburgh. If the cuts are approved, Route 69 would run from Wilkinsburg to Wilmerding, stopping about 3 miles short of Trafford.
“I can’t walk (3) miles to work. I mean, I guess I could, but I’m not getting any younger,” said Beachy, who will turn 50 in June.
Beachy has worked at Veronica’s On Cavitt since it opened last summer. On his two days off, he takes another bus to his second job at Hanlon’s Cafe in the Crafton Ingram Shopping Center.
He has relied on Pittsburgh Regional Transit to go to work and run errands since he moved to the area 10 years ago.
“I just hope that they reconsider this or think of a different alternative,” he said, “because if they do any of what they’re talking about, it’s going to really screw me.”
The cut would also eliminate the agency’s flyer route into the borough, P69-Trafford, said spokesperson Adam Brandolph.
“As we’ve said, we don’t want to make these cuts, as they would certainly devastate communities and cut off access to riders,” Brandolph said.
Route 69 averaged about 915 weekday riders and about 275 weekend riders in 2024, according to transit agency ridership data. The P69 flyer route, which only operates on weekdays, averaged about 135 riders.
Alle-Kiski Valley officials oppose potential cuts
Another route on the chopping block, the P10 Allegheny Valley flyer, travels from Harrison to Brackenridge, Springdale, Cheswick and Harmar before ending in Downtown Pittsburgh. It is the only bus route serving Harrison and Brackenridge.
The route is essential to quality of life in the Alle-Kiski Valley, said Tarentum Borough Manager Dwight Boddorf.
“The proposed changes to local service have prompted concern among our officials and residents alike,” Boddorf said, “and we are making our voices heard.”
Commuters would still have the Freeport Road route, which starts in Tarentum and follows the bridge above the Allegheny River into New Kensington before crossing back over to pick up riders in Springdale, Harmar, Blawnox and Aspinwall.
But riders would still have to find a way to Tarentum to catch the bus.
“A lot of the areas they are (talking about) cutting service to don’t have the senior citizen housing that we have,” said Harrison Township Manager Amy Rockwell.
Rockwell has written letters to Allegheny County and state representatives, as well as the Allegheny County Housing Authority, seeking support for keeping the bus route.
Tarentum officials have joined efforts to lobby for reliable transit service. Council President Scott Dadowski has reached out to transit agency CEO Katharine Kelleman and elected officials at the Allegheny County and state levels to emphasize the importance of continued service.
Boddorf’s concern with the proposed cuts extends beyond transportation.
“We believe these services are not just about transit,” he said, “but equity, economic development and quality of life.”
Public transportation sparse in borough
Debbie Davidow and her husband used to take the Route 69 bus from their Pitcairn home to visit their children in Trafford.
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When her husband died and her children moved closer to Pittsburgh, Davidow, 71, applied for a unit in the Trafford Manor housing complex along the borough’s Brinton Avenue — where she has lived since September.
Davidow relies on the bus to get groceries at Shop ’n Save, pick up medications from Rite Aid and attend doctor’s appointments at Forbes Regional Hospital.
“This is sad,” she said, “that they would take the only bus that goes through this community.”
For Trafford residents such as Davidow, there are not many other affordable public transportation options.
The Westmoreland County Transit Authority does not have any fixed routes that go into Trafford, said Executive Director Alan Blahovec. Its shared-ride program, Go Westmoreland, is open to any Westmoreland County resident, he said, but it is not as accessible.
Go Westmoreland operates from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. Rides must be scheduled by noon the day before the trip.
Trips to Pittsburgh can be scheduled only Wednesday through Friday with an arrival of 9 a.m. and a departure between 2 and 3 p.m.
Senior citizens and riders with disabilities receive a hefty discount. A 10- to 15 mile-ride that costs $5.75 for senior citizens and about $8 for people with disabilities would cost the general public more than $38.
“The full fare is more along the lines of a taxi, Uber or Lyft kind of fare,” Blahovec said.
The Westmoreland authority board learned of Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s proposed changes in mid-February, Blahovec said.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit will accept public input on the proposal until June 18. It is seeking a $117 million funding increase from the state in the budget year that starts July 1.
“Until they figure out exactly what they’re going to be doing, we haven’t done anything yet,” Blahovec said. “As far as the potential to operate there, we don’t really have any extra resources at this time, but it’s certainly something that I think we’ll need to look at if they do cut their service.”
He continued: “If we were to try to do something, not just in Trafford, but anywhere else in the county, it would mean we would have to be taking away from something.”
Boddorf encouraged Tarentum residents to voice their concerns about the proposed cuts.
“Community input is a crucial part of the decision-making process,” he said, “and we want to ensure our voices are included and considered.”
While the future of public transportation in Trafford hangs in the air, Davidow and her neighbors have only one response.
“We’re praying,” she said.