PAT's flip-flopping again

Pittsburgh PA - Once again, the Port Authority of Allegheny County is spinning so fast that they can't keep from flip-flopping like a fish out of water.

"As part of our public comment process, we would certainly encourage interested private options for substitute service where we must completely vacate. This would include private for profit or nonprofit providers."
--
Stephen G. Bland
CEO, Port Authority of Allegheny County

This was said towards the beginning of January. Now, not even a couple of weeks have passed and we get this from PAT:

"It's premature to discuss the 28X as if it's already gone for good," he said. "There is a chance it could stay. That's why we're having public hearings. When a final plan is submitted in March, then our board will make a final decision."

This flip-flopping they are doing is saying more than the PAT and Allegheny County officials think. PAT and County officials have already made it clear on multiple occasions that the 28X route is history and nothing will change that. We now have a private operator willing to take the route and PAT starts crying that it's not certain the route is going.

What this is telling me is that this entire hack and slash plan they are pushing is just another cry wolf from the ailing transit system to try and pry more money from the State without changing a damn thing about the way they operate. If they were truly serious that these cuts have to be made, they would have jumped at the chance to dump the 28X route while making sure service would remain.

PAT and County officials have continually said this time that these cuts are real and even if money comes in, they would go through regardless. If they are shooting down a proposal from a private carrier to take a route then I really have to question the legitimacy of their hack and slash route cut plan.

It looks to me like it's business as usual at PAT. It's just another attempt at crying wolf to get funding. No wonder the hack and slash plan was so draconian, they really had no intentions of actually going through with it.

PAT is once again trying to use the public as a political tool to get what they want without actually changing anything. They have no intentions of getting rid of the waste and want the status quo to continue.

The Port Authority of Allegheny County earns another Lance for using the public strictly as a political tool. PAT really is run by a bunch of morons...