Pittsburgh Regional Transit is putting the final touches on a new program that will begin offering employers, landlords and schools the opportunity to buy transit passes at sharply reduced prices.
Known as the PRTner Pass, the program will offer sponsors with groups of 10 or more the opportunity to buy 31-day passes at a discount of about 70%. The main requirement is that the entity provide the passes to everyone in the group and charge no more than it paid for the pass.
For example, passes that cost $97.50 will be available for $28. The objective is for sponsors to make them available as a benefit to everyone who qualifies with the best option being at no cost, but the maximum charge would be $28.
The agency ran a successful trial of the program last year using a $50,000 grant from the Heinz Endowments. In the trial, four employers gave passes to 113 employees, who told interviewers after the trial that they used transit more because they had the pass and the pass would influence where they accepted a job.
The PRT board last week approved a federally required resolution citing a public process that determined the program would not discriminate against any particular group of riders. In an interview after the approval, CEO Katharine Eagan Kelleman said the agency has “a couple of irons in the fire” from groups wanting to participate in the program and will hire a coordinator in January to solicit more users and to make sure they meet program requirements.
“Clearly there’s a benefit from this for the sponsor and the participants,” she said. “We are looking forward to it starting.”
In other areas such as Seattle, the bulk pass program makes up nearly half of the system’s ridership. Kelleman said she doesn’t know if PRT can reach that level, but she expects the program’s benefits to be popular.
The program is expected to increase PRT ridership and benefit the region by taking traffic on local roads, cutting pollution by having fewer cars on the road and fewer traffic jams, and reducing the need for parking.
The program will be open to employers, landlords and schools like colleges and high schools that don’t participate in the agency’s university pass program. Users must be between 12 and 65 years old because younger riders already pay half fares and older riders can ride for free.
The agency plans to look at the program after a year to see how it is working and whether the price should be adjusted.
Ed covers transportation at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at eblazina@unionprogress.com.