The Allegheny County Discounted Fares Pilot Program launched last week.
In this pilot, eligible applicants (Allegheny County residents who are 18 through 64 years of age and receiving SNAP benefits as of September 2022) will have a chance to receive free or discounted fares with Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) for a year.
Our goal is to enroll 14,000 participants, and we need your help to ensure that we are reaching those who can benefit the most from this transportation assistance. If eligible, participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups (free PRT rides for a year, half-price PRT rides for a year, or no discount on fares but opportunities to be compensated for completing surveys). We’ll be carefully monitoring the impact of lowering the cost of public transportation and hope that changes in measures such as use of public transit, access to jobs and services, and socioeconomic well-being will demonstrate the value of continuing to subsidize transportation costs.
More information and a link to the application is available at https://discountedfares.alleghenycounty.us/. There you’ll find other helpful information and resources, FAQs, a video demonstrating how to complete the application, and a list of places offering hands-on assistance for those who need help – or a computer – to complete an application.