PRT’s Bus Line Redesign Project: Creating A Bus Network with Improved Connectivity and Reliability
Our Bus Line Redesign project is a systemwide effort to rethink the bus network on where, when and how people travel in a post-pandemic world.
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered how people utilize PRT’s transit services. With the increase in remote work, fewer people are now using our services to commute to Downtown Pittsburgh. At the same time, ridership on our other routes has rebounded, and riders are telling PRT that they are using transit more and more to meet their daily needs beyond getting to work. The Bus Line Redesign project is a systemwide effort to rethink our network based on where, when, and how people travel throughout our county now.
Currently, PRT has introduced the Draft Network 1.0, a comprehensive proposal to revamp the bus system in Allegheny County. This redesign aims to enhance service quality, reliability, and accessibility for riders. Key features include:
- New Direct Routes: Establishing connections between communities without requiring transfers in Downtown Pittsburgh.
- One-Seat Rides to Major Destinations: Providing direct trips to key areas like Oakland, reducing the need for multiple transfers.
- Improved Reliability: Shortening routes and adjusting schedules to ensure buses run on time.
- Expanded Transit Hubs: Creating more hubs to facilitate easier transfers and better connectivity across the network.
- Increased Service Frequency: Boosting the number of routes operating every 30 minutes or better, especially during weekdays and late evenings.
- Equitable Service Enhancements: Focusing on improvements in neighborhoods with high concentrations of demographic groups that rely more on transit to ensure better access to jobs, healthcare, and essential services.
Public engagement for the first draft of the proposal, Draft Network 1.0, began on September 30, 2024 and has been extended through February 15, 2025. PRT has already received approximately 10,000 comments and held more than 76 in-person events in addition to virtual meetings. There are several upcoming pop-up events where community members can review the route proposals and provide feedback. A full list of these events can be found here:
https://engage.rideprt.org/buslineredesign/BLR-events
We encourage everyone to come to one of our pop-up events to learn more about the project so we can make the Bus Line Redesign project as efficient, reliable, and user-friendly as possible - one that meets the needs of the region’s residents. To stay up to date on this project or provide feedback, visit: https://engage.rideprt.org/buslineredesign.
