PITTSBURGH (Newsradio KDKA) - Pennsylvania Secretary of Transportation Yassmin Gramian says her department has been tasked with analyzing some potential options to address the transportation funding gap in the commonwealth.
"People are driving less, they are teleworking more. It has really made this gas tax - which is 74% of the revenue that we get for our transportation
system - an unreliable source of funding," Gramian said. "We cannot depend on it."
Wolf asked over 40 stakeholders from the Pennsylvania Transportation Revenue Options Commission to weigh in on how to fund the various infrastructure ideas being considered.
Patricia Cowley, the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Bus Association, and member of the commission, says the proposal includes a long list of fees that will have a negative impact on their members.
"One of which is very concerning is the vehicle registration fee, which looks like it could increase, or being proposed to by 100%," Crowley said. "That's definitely going to hurt our members on top of all the other toll increases."
Rebecca Oyler, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, another member of the commission, says many of the increased taxes and fees that they're looking at will have unintended consequences.
"When you stack all of those increases one on top of another your really going to see an impact on business and jobs in the state, because that's really going to affect a lot of folks who are still struggling to recover from the pandemic," Oyler said.
Listen to the full interview with above to learn more.