Apr 21, 2015 3 min read

Phase two of construction is under way at Washington’s long-awaited transit hub. Meanwhile, the authority overseeing the $4.9 million project is undergoing its own transformation.

Washington City Transit, which will be housed within the intermodal transit facility on East Chestnut Street when it opens in late summer or early fall, plans to merge with Washington County Transportation Authority.

The county authority operates the Freedom Line and Washington Rides service, which will operate out of the second floor of the transit building.

City Transit Director Joe Thomas said the agencies hope to consolidate July 1, but he doesn’t anticipate any immediate changes for commuters. The agreement needs to be approved by City Council and the county authority’s board of directors. Washington County commissioners also must approve a resolution in order to move the process forward, Thomas said.

The county authority would be the overarching governing body, but the city would appoint two representatives to sit on a seven-member authority board. Thomas said the consolidation would “alleviate” the city of some of its more routine duties related to city transit, like paying bills and applying for grants. Thomas said he spends at least 20 minutes at every council meeting discussing various transit items.

In addition to freeing up time, he said it would also cut costs.

“We will be able to save just through the fact that we’ll have shared equipment and make use of our employees in a way that will aid both agencies,” he said.

Washington Mayor Brenda Davis said the consolidation won’t cost taxpayers a dime, but it will save money by addressing the duplication of administration and services.

“There’s a good bit of overlap that’s occurring,” Davis said. “If we shared those services, we could be much more efficient.”

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission has been footing the bill for consultant services related to merger negotiations, Davis said. Mid-Mon Valley Transit Authority was included in those discussions, but the board voted not to pursue a merger with the other two agencies.

“This has been tried in the past, but this is the furthest we’ve ever gotten,” Davis said of the consolidation, which has been discussed periodically for more than five years.

City Council could vote on a draft of the consolidation agreement as early as next month. Sheila Gombita, head of the county transportation authority, said the agencies are still working out the details related to the staff reorganization and lease agreement for the city’s transit building.

The county authority was formed in 2001, and prior to that, bus transportation was handled by the county’s Department of Human Services, Gombita said.

She said the merger would bring transportation services under one umbrella “so that passengers have one phone number to call to get any information” they need.