Transit Tales Tells Stories

Over the last year, Transit Tales has collected more than 100 stories from transit riders, disabled riders, riders who have lost service, ACCESS drivers, Port Authority drivers, non-riders, youth, and elders. Some of those stories are available to the public on the project website (transittalespgh.org), the project YouTube Channel (youtube.com/transittalespgh), and in select editions of the Pittsburgh City Paper.In addition to those media outlets, Transit Tales brought its stories to the public at two events. In November of 2013, the team brought Transit Tales to the stage for WordPlay, an exciting event that blends hilarious true stories with a live music mash-up. In April of 2014, Transit Tales hosted a Fifth Wall event, which sought to break down the barriers between scripted storytelling and current events in the world at large. The program included live readings of CAPA student written work, an original video composed of stories and photos collected by Transit Tales, and a panel discussion about the role of community input in transit planning.Transit Tales aimed to increase awareness of, and engage the public in, the issues around public transit in Allegheny County. The project team believes that raising public awareness around transit issues, involving people in the discussion about what local transit should be, and generally increasing the positive perception of transit are very important activities. There is a need to humanize transit- the riders and vehicle operators- and to grow public understanding of its social, environmental, and, most importantly, economic relevance to the lives of all residents. Telling the stories of a diverse cross-section of our geographic community has helped to create many opportunities for citizens to connect with the meaning and impact that transit has on all of us. For more information, contact Breen Masciotra, PCRG’s Regional Outreach Manager, at bmasciotra@pcrg.org or (412) 391-6732 ext. 209.