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Allegheny County government announced Tuesday it is distributing the first Connect Cards for its discounted-fare pilot program for low-income public transit users.
Nearly six thousand applicants have been approved, as well as an additional 3,300 children in these approved households, according to the county’s Department of Human Services (DHS).
DHS is providing Connect Cards — which are used to pay for rides on Pittsburgh Regional Transit vehicles — loaded with transit passes to approved voluntary applicants who are between the ages of 18 and 64, reside in Allegheny County, and receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Erin Dalton, the director of DHS, said the county is encouraged by the number of applicants they were able to help secure free and discounted rides. The 12-month pilot program is designed to measure the effects of discounted public transportation fares in connecting residents to the holistic services available through DHS — like health care, child care, employment — as well as community amenities like grocery stores.
“Being able to keep people connected to services in their community while freeing up money normally spent on transportation will allow them to focus on other necessities such as food or rent,” said Dalton.
The county is encouraging more qualified applicants to apply. So far, 5,854 applicants have been approved and have received a randomly assigned discount.
The Fair Fares for a Full Recovery Coalition — composed of advocacy groups Just Harvest, Pittsburgh Food Policy Council, Pittsburghers for Public Transit, and UrbanKind — have celebrated the creation of the pilot program.
Many local advocacy groups have been pushing for the creation of a discounted and free fare transit program for years because low-income households are simultaneously the most reliant on public transit and the highest likelihood of paying the full cash fare, which doesn’t grant a free transfer.
Online applications for the low-income public transit program are available at discountedfares.alleghenycounty.us.
Ryan Deto is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Ryan by email at rdeto@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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