Port Authority officials and the nine-member board of directors will hold the first of eight public hearings Jan. 22 about fare increases and service cuts.

The procedure will be the same as in the past: Make a statement. Sit and listen to the people. Do not respond.

They'll hear hard-luck and sometimes tear-jerking stories from riders unable to get to jobs, school, events, church and medical appointments. They'll hear from business owners unable to hire workers, grandparents unable to visit kids and dialysis patients unable to get treatment.

They'll get an earful.

The Port Authority has gone through the drill many times.

But it's people from Waynesburg, Punxsutawney, Altoona, Bentleyville, Philadelphia, Media, Warren and Williamsport who should be at the front of the room, listening to hardships that they've help impose on people's lives and the community.

I'm talking about Bill DeWeese, Sam Smith, Rick Geist, Barry Stout, Vince Fumo, Dominic Pileggi, Joe Scarnati and Roger Madigan, all lawmakers who carry big sticks in Harrisburg. Maybe even the Big Guy needs to stop in.

All House and Senate members from Allegheny County should be there, too, if they aren't too busy scrambling to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh or getting comfy in their new digs at the Capitol.

They should be the ones squirming in their seats for not passing long-term, dedicated funding and reform legislation that would have enabled transit officials to contain the bleeding long ago.

Thousands of people have registered complaints with the Port Authority and signed up to testify at the upcoming hearings.

"Getting Around" alone has received more than 75 e-mails from readers.

Because so few legislators are expected to show their faces at the hearings, or ones who do will make promises that can't be kept, here's a sample of the public reaction to the proposal to eliminate 124 of 213 weekday bus routes:

Joan Ammon, Brookline: "Today's 41D bus was standing-room-only by the time it reached Brookline Boulevard. What bus or trolley two miles away will have room for that many people when this route is discontinued?"

Ira Weiss, Pittsburgh lawyer: "The silence from city hall (except for Councilman Doug Shields) is deafening."

Joe Castelli, Squirrel Hill: "This turn of events will make me a single-issue voter. I will vote against [county Chief Executive Dan] Onorato and any other politician currently in office who supports this plan or who has not done enough."

Terry Onufer, Mars: "The 13K Cranberry Express represents the largest population growth demographic in our region and every bus is full, despite limited parking. It should be the shining star of the whole system. If the Port Authority can't turn a profit or make it viable, it does not deserve to be in business."

Gloria Povirk, Verona: "State and local officials are just assuming that the authority's study and conclusions to cut bus routes are valid. I ride an express bus (78A) most weekday mornings and take the bus home in the afternoon. Sometimes, the buses barely accommodate people standing in the aisle."

Jim Wilson, Bethel Park: "I read about the plan to cut the 28X Airport Flyer and read it again, not believing I got it right. Are they nuts? I have friends who work at the airport and have no other way to get there."

Dawn Long, Downtown paralegal: "Take monopolized control of public transportation away from the county and permit intelligent sources in private enterprise to run it. They couldn't do much worse."

Clifford Kuhl, transit schedule analyst from Louisville, Ky.: "Like Pittsburgh, we can no longer provide service to every neighborhood and need to realign service to major corridors. Europe and Canada figured this out long ago, but transit is a cherished public service there and certainly not as politicized as here in America."

Linda Mann, Whitehall: "Have they looked at this plan? They're taking away everything that runs near Baptist and Brownsville roads. There's nothing even close that I will be able to walk to."

Tim Sullivan, St. Petersburg, Fla., and former Pittsburgher: "Knowing the excesses bestowed upon Port Authority employees for years and ridiculous pension benefits, it was inevitable that pyramid economics would topple the system."

Many people e-mailed good suggestions and remarks. Sorry. Those who don't include their name and address get no ink.

I'm not about to predict the outcome of the authority's problem, but it's noteworthy that CEO Steve Bland has acknowledged the budget-cutting proposals contain some "wiggle room."

Keep your eyes on state lawmakers and see how they handle the latest and biggest public transit crisis in the authority's 43-year history.

See how they wiggle their way out of this one.

Believe it. The American Public Transit Association released a study last week saying that using public transportation instead of private vehicles can reduce household expenses by $6,200 a year, more than the average family spends on food.

Elsewhere. The federal government has signed a $2.6 billion full-funding agreement for the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority to build a network of train tunnels under the East River and link the Long Island Railroad with Grand Central Station in Manhattan.

Plate du jour. Beni Downing spotted the Pennsylvania personalized license plate I1IT AUL in Penn Hills, where he lives.