Canadian Steelers fans travel here to tailgate in the Blitzburgh Bus

“What’s the secret passcode?” Jeff “Jazzy Jeff” Duggan says as the yellow bus doors whir open.

The Highland Park resident laughs as Joe “Steelers Guy” Ferraro remarks how cold it is before stepping up into the bus and nestling in his chair designated in bold yellow letters, “Steelers Guy.”

Duggan is the driver and bus keeper for the eye-catching “Blitzburgh Bus,” which was parked Sunday in the lot behind the Hyatt Hotel in the North Shore, less than half a mile from Acrisure Stadium. The bus is a 1953 International that’s been converted to a Steelers fan cave heaven.

“This bus does rattle and shake, but it is a part of the character of it,” Duggan said.

Jazzy Jeff, the driver and keeper of the Blitzburgh Bus, sits inside the bus before the Steelers v. Bengals game on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, on the North Shore. The bus can be seen on the North Shore before most home Steelers games. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

Despite hailing from hockey-crazed Alberta, Calgary, Canada, Ferraro and his friend Frank Mafrica are lifelong Steelers fans. The two travel 2,500 miles to watch their beloved team and to tailgate in the bus, which resides in Pittsburgh.

“It has been a fun venture, trying to make it to almost every home game,” Mafrica said.

Their decked-out bus has been rolling to North Shore tailgate parties for 12 years. It’s hard to miss with its prominent Steelers imagery.

Vinyl wraps of past and current Steelers players decorate the interior and exterior of the bus’s windows. The team’s logo is remixed with maple leafs on one side of the bus to represent the duo’s Canadian roots.

“There are always people taking pictures,” Ferraro said. “There is always someone jumping around the bus, so we have to be careful when packing up to leave.”

Inside is a large flat-screen TV, table and leather cushioned seats to give fans the ultimate tailgating experience. The driver’s side of the bus maintains a historic look featuring memorabilia of Steelers legends, including Franco Harris, who Ferraro said inspired his love for the Steelers because of their shared Italian connection.

From left, Sharon Ferraro, of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, her husband, Joe Ferraro, co-owner of the Blitzburgh Bus, Jazzy Jeff, the driver and keeper of the bus, and Frank Mafrica, co-owner of the bus, sit on the bus before the Steelers v. Bengals game on Sunday, Nov. 20, 2022, on the North Shore. The bus can be seen on the North Shore before most home Steelers games. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

The other side of the bus is updated with images to keep up with the current Steelers team. Autographs from various players and Pittsburgh icons are scribbled around the ceiling.

Ferraro’s wife, Sharon, said the idea to get a bus came from a plane ride to Kansas, where they met someone who owned a tailgating bus.

“He told Frank, ‘Hey, we should do something like that,’” she said.

The group was set on getting a bus 14 years ago, after they had trouble finding a postgame ride back to their Shadyside hotel. A pizza delivery guy in Oakland eventually gave them a lift.

They retrieved a yellow bus in Miami and brought it to a Pittsburgh fabricator. Mafrica said the process of gutting the bus and revamping it took about eight months.

The Blitzburgh Bus in 1979, before it was bought by friends Joe Ferraro and Frank Mafrica. The bus, now decorated in black and yellow and photos of former and current Steelers players, can be seen on the North Shore before most home Steelers games. (Emily Matthews/Pittsburgh Union Progress)

He joked that the bus has made it easier for them to book hotels.

“The front desk staff ask to get pictures of the bus, and we ask, ‘Can we get a room?’” he said.

Duggan said over the course of a Steelers weekend, thousands of people come to check out the bus. The bus undergoes continuous improvements to keep the ride interesting.

“If we got a dollar for every picture taken of this,” Duggan said, “we would be able to retire.”