As the COVID-19 pandemic has eviscerated transit ridership around the country, it’s left many concerned about the financial health of transit agencies. The Port Authority of Allegheny County says it has lost 75% to 80% of its ridership. Though service is beginning to return to normal levels as the county begins to reopen its businesses, the Port Authority is also concerned about what the future holds.
“We don’t necessarily anticipate our ridership to bounce back just because we go to yellow,” said Port Authority spokesman Adam Brandolph. “This is very likely going to be a multi-month, if not multi-year, rebound for public transit around the country.”
Port Authority anticipates that federal funding will provide substantial relief, but the pandemic has left the agency with the difficult challenge of rebuilding a depended-upon service after losses of tens of million of dollars amid the possibility that many pre-pandemic riders won’t return.
To mitigate physical contact during boarding, Port Authority moved to a virtually fare-free model during the pandemic. Fare collection, which resumes June 8, and advertising revenue typically amount to about $6 to $8 million a month. Meanwhile, the Port Authority has been spending an additional $1 million a month in cleaning costs, Brandolph said.
The transit agency is estimating a loss of $30 million due to the pandemic in lost fare collection and increased cleaning costs. The authority expects that emergency federal funding will offset the gap in the short term. Port Authority believes ridership could return to about 50% of its normal numbers in a few months, though the level of uncertainty at the moment means this is simply an educated guess, according to Brandolph.
During the pandemic, Port Authority drastically reduced its service. It’s also limited capacity on buses to 10 riders on a 35-foot bus, 15 on a 40-foot bus and 25 on a 60-foot bus or light-rail car. However, on May 18, Port Authority restored most of its routes to regular service, with 32 still reduced. Vehicles will still follow the same capacity restrictions and continue requiring all riders to wear masks.
FEATURED IMAGE: On Forbes Avenue in Oakland, a person wearing a face mask exits a Port Authority bus adorned with the message ‘Stay Home, Save Lives’. (Photo by Kimberly Rowen/PublicSource)
Read Entire Article At:
Ridership down, cleaning costs up, Port Authority navigates financial hurdles of COVID-19
About Post Author
