Harrisburg, PA – Today, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposal to deliver funding for mass transit systems in all 67 counties in a bipartisan vote — marking the fourth time the House has taken action to advance this critical investment in our economy, workforce, and infrastructure. The Governor is now urging both parties in the Senate to come together and pass this comprehensive, bipartisan plan to secure the future of mass transit in Pennsylvania.
Governor Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal includes $292 million in new funding next year — generating $1.5 billion over five years — to support 52 transit systems that serve nearly one million riders each day across rural, urban, and suburban communities. These investments would help create jobs, connect communities, and ensure Pennsylvanians can commute to work, go to school, access health care, and travel safely and reliably.
"My proposal to fund mass transit just passed the PA House for the fourth time,” said Governor Shapiro. “This bipartisan bill injects critical dollars into public transit across Pennsylvania and adds new funding to repair roads and bridges — because folks rely on both to get where they need to go. It’s time for the Senate to get this funding done in this year’s budget."
In addition to transit funding, the Governor supported an amendment to this bill that includes additional investments in Pennsylvania’s roads and bridges — helping to improve infrastructure in every corner of the Commonwealth. Since taking office, Governor Shapiro has already delivered more than $380 million in new funding for roads and bridges, leading the nation in repairing more poor condition bridges than any other state in the country and improving over 12,000 miles of roads — more than any other time in the last decade. The Governor’s proposed budget builds on that success by addressing a long-standing gap: dedicated, sustainable funding for public transit.
Mass transit isn’t just about Pennsylvania’s largest cities — it’s essential statewide. Rural shared-ride services alone provide 2.6 million trips a year for seniors, helping them get to doctor’s appointments, grocery stores, and more. According to the Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association, public transit supports over 39,000 jobs and drives $5.4 billion in economic activity across the Commonwealth.
The Governor’s proposal does not raise taxes — instead it increases the portion of the existing Sales and Use Tax dedicated to public transit, from 7.68 percent to 9.43 percent, providing $292 million in new annual funding next year and more than $330 million annually by 2029–30.
Earlier this month, Governor Shapiro visited Rabbittransit in Dauphin County and LANTA in the Lehigh Valley, where business leaders, riders, and transit operators emphasized how this funding would help them get where they need to go and grow the economy.
For more on public transit, ridesharing, biking, walking, and PennDOT’s infrastructure projects, visit penndot.pa.gov. Information about the state’s infrastructure and results PennDOT is delivering for Pennsylvanians can be found at penndot.pa.gov/results.
For more information on Governor Shapiro’s 2025-26 budget proposal, visit shapirobudget.pa.gov.
# # #