Pittsburgh Regional Transit seeks public input on proposed new bus routes

Pittsburgh Regional Transit posted the website Monday with details of its proposed redesign of its bus routes that it announced last month.

This is the agency’s first draft of the redesign, which will be available for public comment until early next year. Then the agency intends to make any changes, have them reviewed again and be ready to begin implementing them in 2026.

Overall, the redesign would reduce the number of routes from 95 to 77, add 19 completely new routes and set up 20 transit hubs throughout Allegheny County to help riders make trips between neighboring communities without having to travel through Downtown Pittsburgh. About 60% of the routes will have changes, some with major expansion or reduction in service and others with small changes such as moving a stop from one block to another.

The agency is trying to adjust service to meet different rider needs after the pandemic, which has seen less daily commuter travel to Downtown Pittsburgh and more mid-morning, mid-afternoon and weekend trips.

The agency also is trying to provide more trips to job sites and adjust for shifts in residential neighborhoods. For example, the proposal includes additional service to the North Hills and direct service from West Mifflin to Carnegie and Millvale to Pittsburgh’s East End.

This is the first redesign of bus routes in more than 10 years.

“Allegheny County has changed a lot over the last decade,” Amy Silbermann, the agency’s chief development officer, said in a news release. “By redesigning the network to reflect where people live and work today, we’re making sure public transit plays a critical role in creating a more equitable and inclusive future.”

Because of changes in riding patterns, the agency said it has been able to redesign the bus routes and add service without increasing the agency’s costs. The demand in areas that will see reduced frequency lose service has decreased, so those service hours will be shifted elsewhere.

Additionally, the agency is studying microservice in the Harrison and McKeesport areas, where smaller vehicles would be used to move riders between local communities. The agency said drivers on those routes would receive the same pay.

The public can comment on the proposed changes on the website, where features will allow riders to view changes to their individual route. Some of those features may not be active until the end of the week.

Additionally, the agency will hold community meetings to present the proposed changes. The events this week will be:

• Wilkinsburg – 1 to 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Wilkinsburg Community Resource Fair, 1205 Wood St., Wilkinsburg.
• Hill District – 7 to 9 a.m. Thursday at the bus stop at Centre Avenue and Dinwiddie Street.
• McKeesport – 2 to 5 p.m. Thursday at the McKeesport Transportation Center, 541 Lysle Boulevard, McKeesport.
• Dormont – 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Dormont Music Festival, Potomac Avenue, Dormont.