Pittsburgh Regional Transit looking at bus route refresh following rider feedback

Pittsburgh Regional Transit wants to make bus service more reliable and connected, launching a new proposal with a main goal of shifting resources to higher-demand routes.

More than 16,000 people shaped this redesigned plan, the agency said, which is an update to its 2023 Bus Line Redesign.

"We heard clearly that the original proposal felt like too much, too fast," PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman said. "The network didn't need a complete redesign—it needed a refresh. We focused on making service more frequent, more reliable, and better aligned with how people travel today."

PRT said it wants to make 43 routes come every 30 minutes or better. That would be an improvement from 27 today, the agency said.

"You stand here, four or five [buses] go by, but the one I need? Once an hour," Rodney Arrington of East Liberty said.

Under the agency's proposal, 99.2% of current riders would remain within a quarter mile of service. 

This "Bus Line Refresh" takes more than 10% service hours from parts of routes with low ridership and invests in those with higher demand, PRT said.

Ninety-one percent of riders near Bus Line Refresh stops would keep a ride Downtown without needing to transfer.

Communities like McCandless, Ross Township, Dormont, Brentwood, Mount Lebanon, Carrick, Millvale, and the West Busway would gain rides to Oakland without needing a transfer.

Additionally, PRT wants to add 39 one-seat rides around the region. The agency also wants to increase Saturday service by 20% and Sunday service by 18%.

Priority is being given to neighborhoods that have higher transit dependence, the agency said. 

Over 190,000 residents in what the agency calls "equity communities" would gain 30-minute service, a 28% increase. It would help 380,000 more jobs become accessible at a 30-minute frequency, PRT said.

If PRT's board approves this refresh this fall, implementation would begin in 2027. More than 60 meetings and pop-ups across Allegheny County will be held before the required public hearings this summer.

Proposed changes will be viewable in PRT's "Find My Route" tool, which also includes an interactive map.