Councilman Wilson Proposes Annual City Fleet Report Legislation

Published on July 22, 2025

Councilman Bobby Wilson Introduces Legislation Establishing an Annual Fleet Investment & Efficiency Report Pittsburgh, PA (July 22, 2025)—Councilman Bobby Wilson (District 1) introduced legislation at today’s Regular Meeting establishing an Annual Fleet Investment and Efficiency Report to promote responsible use of public funds and vehicle management. This report, to be submitted to City Council and the Office of Management and Budget by the first of September each year, will evaluate vehicle performance, maintenance costs, and provide recommendations for strategic replacement and investment planning.

“We need to understand what is really going on with the City’s fleet,” said Councilman Wilson. “Ambulances are breaking down, fire trucks need constant repairs, and the Department of Public Works is recycling functional parts from old vehicles to retrofit ones in current use. Residents, as well as Council, deserve to know how many vehicles are in disrepair and how much it will cost to fix or buy new ones. A recent report from the Fleet Services Senior Manager indicated that 48% of the City’s fleet has exceed its recommended life cycle, which is around 7.6 years. The longer it takes to replace or repair these vehicles, the more expensive it becomes to do so. This annual report is the first step in getting a transparent understanding of the City’s fleet.”

Per the legislation, the Fleet Services Senior Manager will collaborate with the Equipment Leasing Authority (ELA) to prepare the report which will include the following information:

1. A full inventory of fleet vehicles, including make, model, year, mileage, and assigned department,
2. Total annual maintenance and repair costs per vehicle and per department for the previous fiscal year,
3. Identification of vehicles exceeding a maintenance cost threshold of thirty (30) percent of the original purchase price in the prior calendar year,
4. Data-driven recommendations for vehicle replacement based on lifecycle cost analysis,
5. Fleet-wide cost projections for the next three fiscal years, highlighting capital needs for vehicle replacement and anticipated maintenance spending,
6. Analysis of underutilized or over-utilized assets and any recommendations for rightsizing the fleet,
7. Opportunities for fuel savings, including electric or hybrid vehicle transitions, where costeffective,
8. Recommendations to increase service efficiency, reduce downtime, and lower long-term operational costs.

“Maintaining the quality of our vehicles is critical to public health and safety, and the state of our fleet right now constitutes a serious problem, as the City faces financial challenges in the years ahead,” notes City Controller Rachael Heisler. “I appreciate Councilman Wilson’s effort to ensure that Council has access to the information they need to prioritize fleet management going forward.”

Julianne Hluska
Chief of Staff Councilman Bobby Wilson
Julianne.hluska@pittsburghpa.gov
412-676-5758