1Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Port Authority of
2Allegheny County.

3WHEREAS, Allegheny County has a history of public
4transportation going back more than 150 years, including horse-
5drawn carriages, horse-drawn and electric streetcars, buses and
6funiculars; and

7WHEREAS, Only two of the original 17 funiculars survive
8today, the Duquesne and Monongahela Inclines; and

9WHEREAS, By 1910, the Pittsburgh Railways Company was moving
10more than 600,000 riders a day across more than 100 trolley
11routes using 606 miles of track; and

12WHEREAS, After World War II, the economic boom and increased
13highway construction led to dwindling ridership due to the
14increase in automobile ownership; and

15WHEREAS, With 16 independent lines operating downtown and 21
16others serving the suburbs in addition to Pittsburgh Railways,
17Pittsburgh was home to the country's largest streetcar system by
18the 1960s; and

1WHEREAS, About one-half of the independent lines were either
2losing money or breaking even because fares were unable to keep
3pace with rising costs; and

4WHEREAS, The citizens of Allegheny County, recognizing the
5need for a strong public transit system and faced with a
6declining, fragmented system, petitioned for a county-wide
7public transportation system; and

8WHEREAS, The General Assembly enacted legislation creating
9the Port Authority of Allegheny County in 1956, giving it the
10responsibility to study, plan and develop port facilities and
11later to acquire privately owned transit facilities and own and
12operate a public system of mass transit; and

13WHEREAS, The Port Authority of Allegheny County officially
14began its function as an authority on March 1, 1964, immediately
15consolidating 33 independent transportation companies into one
16system; and

17WHEREAS, In 1965, the Port Authority of Allegheny County's
18first full year of operation, ridership increased by nearly 10
19million as the Port Authority expanded existing routes and
20established new routes, expanding coverage to 730 square miles
21of Allegheny County and sections of contiguous counties; and

22WHEREAS, The Port Authority of Allegheny County continued to
23increase ridership in spite of a declining population and
24increasing automobile use, peaking during the oil crisis in 1980
25with 112 million riders, helping citizens throughout the region
26when gasoline prices rose exponentially; and

27WHEREAS, The Port Authority of Allegheny County continued to
28improve and expand its services throughout the following
29decades, despite fluctuations in ridership, further expanding
30into contiguous counties, adding park-and-ride lots, upgrading

1the fleet of vehicles, planning for the future and working to
2further develop a customer-focused, market-driven approach in
3its services; and

4WHEREAS, The Port Authority of Allegheny County continues to
5modernize and adapt to new technologies and challenges,
6including using hybrid buses, adding bicycle racks to buses and
7allowing cyclists to take their bicycles onto railcars; and

8WHEREAS, The Port Authority of Allegheny County also
9preserves the area's rich history with the maintenance of the
10two iconic funiculars, the Duquesne and Monongahela Inclines,
11the latter of which is the oldest, continuously operating
12funicular in the United States; and

13WHEREAS, The Port Authority of Allegheny County offers
14programs like the ACCESS paratransit program that helps senior
15citizens and persons with disabilities utilize public
16transportation; and

17WHEREAS, The Port Authority of Allegheny County offers free
18fares in its downtown zone, as well as in all zones for senior
19citizens and reduced or free fares for persons with
20disabilities, students and others ensuring access for the area
21residents, regardless of age, income or ability; and

22WHEREAS, Today, the Port Authority of Allegheny County
23continues to offer a variety of services, including bus, light-
24rail and funiculars, helping to connect the greater community as
25it has for the past half-century; therefore be it

26RESOLVED, That the Senate commemorate the 50th anniversary of
27the Port Authority of Allegheny County; and be it further

28RESOLVED, That the Senate honor the Port Authority of
29Allegheny County for the great role that it has played in
30supporting the community and bringing its residents together.