Governor Josh Shapiro and PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll joined transit leaders, local officials, and LANTA bus operators and riders at Lehigh Valley Hospital–Hecktown Oaks to emphasize the importance of increased state investment in public transportation.

Shapiro used the event to promote his 2025–26 budget proposal, which includes $292 million in new mass transit funding next year, totaling more than $1.5 billion over five years, marking the first major increase in state transit support in over a decade.

“Mass transit drives $5.4 billion in economic activity annually in Pennsylvania,” said Shapiro. “We invest in roads and bridges in rural areas—and we must do the same for Pennsylvanians who rely on transit to get to work, appointments, and school.”

The proposed funding would benefit 52 transit systems serving nearly 1 million daily riders in communities statewide, including the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority (LANTA).

Shapiro called on the state Senate to act on the investment, which has already passed the House three times.

The initiative supports public transit as an economic driver and essential service for Pennsylvanians in all 67 counties.