BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Bus service in the Lehigh Valley is not a luxury, but a necessity.
That message repeatedly was driven home Thursday at Payrow Plaza by local elected officials, state representatives and transit advocates who urged state legislators to fully fund public transit throughout the commonwealth.
Speakers at the 35-minute event emphasized that a large percentage of Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority riders rely on bus service to get back and forth to work.
The event was part of a statewide campaign to protect and strengthen public transit service for all Pennsylvania riders.
“If the legislature does not act … we’ll be forced to drastically reduce service and go backward at the worst possible time for our region."Owen O’Neil, executive director, Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority, or LANTA.
With the commonwealth’s politically divided legislature having not yet passed a 2025-26 budget, and the Senate having adjourned for the summer on June 30, the future of transportation funding in the Lehigh Valley is at a crisis point, speakers said.
The state House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan plan to invest $1.5 billion in transit over the next five years.
But if the senate fails to act during ongoing budget negotiations, LANTA will be forced to enact severe service cuts and fare increases that would cripple the region’s economy.
“If the legislature does not act … we’ll be forced to drastically reduce service and go backward at the worst possible time for our region,” LANTA Executive Director Owen O’Neil said.
“In advocating for transit funding in Pennsylvania, one of the most common arguments you hear is transit funding, is SEPTA funding. But transit funding will help all transit systems, including LANTA, in every corner of the state.
“By [the legislature] opposing these funding solutions, we are denying ourselves the benefits of transit improvements.”
'LANTA benefits everyone'
Without additional state funding, LANTA is projecting a 20% service cut and a 25% minimum fare increase in fixed route service in 2026, as well as a 25% minimum fare increase for shared-ride services.
The cuts are in addition to a 4% service cut LANTA made in June.
The cuts are planned despite LANTA ridership and service having returned to pre-COVID pandemic levels.
“LANTA benefits everyone,” said Scott Slingerland, executive director of Coalition for Appropriate Transportation, or CAT, the leading Lehigh Valley transit advocacy group.
“So you may say you don’t ride the bus. But I say public transportation benefits everyone — retail workers who use the bus to get to work, and college and high school students and people who use it to get to doctor appointments.”
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2025-26 budget includes a $32.8 million state operating allocation for LANTA, which is a $6.6 million increase over the current year, according to the state’s website: www.pa.gov.
The proposed budget also includes an increase in the portion of the Sales and Use Tax dedicated to public transit, which would generate an additional $292 million annually.
The increased funding would support various transit systems across Pennsylvania, including LANTA, SEPTA and Pittsburgh Regional Transit.
'Leave our most vulnerable stranded'
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk, who rides the bus, shared conversations he had with LANTA riders about the importance of bus service.
Tuerk said one of the riders told him he spends $4 for a day pass to get to work.
“He said if not for the bus, he’d take an Uber and it would cost him $15 a day,” Tuerk said.
Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds and Easton Mayor Sal Panto Jr. each celebrated the environmental benefits of bus transportation over cars.
“To me, this is an equity and dignity issue. This is about our seniors, who can become isolated and alienated."Northampton County Controller Tara Zrinski
“We want people to reduce how often they drive their cars,” Reynolds said.
Said Panto: “We need to become more aggressive in using environmentally efficient transportation. We have to think about the environment. I know our president doesn’t.”
Northampton County Controller Tara Zrinski asked Lehigh Valley residents to contact their state senators (Democrats Nick Miller and Lisa Boscola and Republican Jarrett Coleman) and urge them to vote in favor of fully funding public transit.
“We need to make sure all allocations go to LANTA,” she said. “This is a regional area. People from Northampton County need buses to get to Lehigh County and people from Lehigh County need buses to get to Northampton County.”
Zrinski also pointed to the importance of bus service for senior citizens.
“To me, this is an equity and dignity issue,” she said. “This is about our seniors, who can become isolated and alienated. They need buses to get them to the grocery store, to doctor visits and to see family members.
“We must not let funding shortfalls leave our most vulnerable stranded.”
State Rep. Steve Samuelson, D-135th District, expressed frustration over the senate’s refusal to approve the state public transit funding bill three times.
“This is a top priority for House Democrats and Gov. Shapiro,” Samuelson said. “Let’s convince the Senate.”
