Friday, November 30, 2012

New Transit Agreement Reached With University of Pittsburgh

Port Authority of Allegheny County and the University of Pittsburgh have reached a new agreement that will provide pre-paid transit access for approximately 40,000 students, faculty and staff for the next five years.

The agreement, approved by Port Authority's Board of Directors today, provides for annual reimbursements by the university based on recorded usage by its students, staff and faculty. The university’s annual payment to Port Authority has increased by more than 50 percent over the last five years and is projected to continue generating additional revenue under this agreement.

“Our collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh as the first large-scale smart card partner has been incredibly valuable and we are extremely pleased to continue this partnership,” said Steve Bland, CEO of Port Authority.

“We’re delighted to continue our partnership with the Port Authority on the pre-paid rider program that provides so many benefits to Pitt, to the Port Authority, and to the community. Not only does this program provide direct support for public transportation in the county, but it also eases parking and traffic congestion in Oakland and benefits the environment. As we are proud to say, the city is our campus, and this program provides our students with easy and efficient transportation, enabling them to experience the cultural and civic amenities of living in a vibrant city like Pittsburgh,” said Jerome Cochran, Executive Vice Chancellor and General Counsel at the University of Pittsburgh.

For each recorded ride, the university will reimburse Port Authority at 50 percent of the one-zone base fare, which currently is $2.50 per ride. The reimbursement rate would change automatically with any future one-zone base fare increase but with a maximum cap. The agreement is retroactive to July 1, 2012 and expires June 30, 2017.

The University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University and Chatham University participate in Port Authority's U-Pass program, which provides transit service to university students and personnel at a bulk rate. Ridership from these three institutions is about 600,000 trips per month, or about 11 percent of Port Authority's total ridership.

The University of Pittsburgh’s Panther Card contains smart card technology and is compatible with fareboxes installed for Port Authority’s new ConnectCard system. Last year, Panther Card users began tapping their cards on the farebox target to register their rides, making the new fee-per-ride structure possible.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Holiday Park VFD Park & Ride Closed Until April

The Holiday Park VFD Park and Ride lot will be closed for several months starting on Thanksgiving.

The park and ride lot, which is owned by the volunteer fire department, will be closed for its annual Christmas tree sale from Thanksgiving until Christmas. However, the lot will not reopen after Christmas as in previous years. The fire department is working to expand its building and the lot will remain closed through approximately April 2013.

Flyers have been placed on vehicles at the lot to alert riders of the closure. The lot serves the P12 Holiday Park Flyer bus route.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Thanksgiving Service Info & Meeting Schedule

Port Authority's bus, T and incline service will operate on holiday schedules for Thanksgiving this Thursday, November 22.

Port Authority's Customer Service phone line will have special holiday hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the Downtown Service Center will be closed on Thanksgiving. Port Authority's Twitter account will not be staffed Thursday or Friday.

Service will operate on regular weekday schedules on Friday, November 23.

Riders traveling over the holiday weekend should be advised of two major detours. On Thanksgiving morning, buses will be detoured in Downtown Pittsburgh and the North Shore due to the annual Turkey Trot race. Then on Saturday, November 24, buses will be detoured due to the My Macy’s Holiday Parade in Downtown and the Strip District.

View information on Thursday's Turkey Trot detours.

View information on Saturday's My Macy's Holiday Parade detours.

Additionally, Port Authority Board and Committee meetings will differ from their usual schedule due to the holiday. The Performance Oversight Committee and Planning & Stakeholder Relations Committee meetings will be held Wednesday, November 21. The Board of Directors meeting will be held Friday, November 30.

For more information, contact Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or for TTY, 412-231-7007.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Bus Detours for Light Up Night

Many Port Authority of Allegheny County bus routes will operate on special detours Friday and Saturday during the annual Light Up Night festivities in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Most Light Up Night detours will go into effect at approximately 6 p.m. Friday, with detours on a few routes beginning earlier. Approximately 50 bus routes will be detoured Friday, with detours lasting through the end of the night. Additionally, about 40 routes will be detoured Saturday between 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. for a parade.

View details on Friday, Nov. 16 detours for Light Up Night.

View details on Saturday, Nov. 17 detours for carriage parade.

Riders should allow for extra time when traveling. Port Authority plans to provide additional capacity – such as two-car trains, Subway Local service and articulated buses on key routes – to accommodate Light Up Night crowds.

For questions, dial Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or for TTY, 412-231-7007.

Friday, November 9, 2012

Veterans Day Service Information

Port Authority service will follow regular weekday schedules on Monday, November 12 (Veterans Day Observed).

The Downtown Service Center on Smithfield Street will be closed in observance of the holiday on Monday, and Port Authority's Twitter account won't be staffed.

The Customer Service phone line will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday for rider assistance at 412-442-2000 / TTY 412-231-7007.

Additionally, the annual Veterans Day parade in Downtown Pittsburgh will detour approximately 45 Port Authority bus routes on Saturday, November 10. View detour information.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Allegheny Station Closed Overnight Nov. 9-10

From 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9 until approximately 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 10, Allegheny Station will be closed for electrical maintenance.

A shuttle bus will operate between Allegheny Station and North Side Station during the closure. Additionally, riders at Gateway headed to the North Shore must board from the outbound side during the closure due to required single-tracking.  

For more information, view our detour notice or contact Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or for TTY, 412-231-7007.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Schedules for 17 Bus Routes Adjusted November 18

Port Authority makes routine changes to its schedules four times per year.

Schedules for approximately 17 different bus routes will be adjusted on Sunday, November 18, 2012. Descriptions of the changes are included below, including links to new schedules.

Routes not listed will not see any changes this month.

The next round of quarterly schedule adjustments will take place in March 2013.
  • 13 Bellevue: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 26 Chartiers: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 27 Fairywood: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 29 Robinson: Trip times are adjusted.
  • 61D Murray: Three weekday morning inbound trips are added.
  • 68 Braddock Hills: Trip times are adjusted. Note: The new schedule will be posted shortly; the original schedule PDF posted contained an error on the P71 section.
  • 71 Edgewood: Trip times are adjusted. Note: The new schedule will be posted shortly; the original schedule PDF posted contained an error on the P71 section.
  • 86 Liberty: Trip times are adjusted. Saturday afternoon trip frequency is increased from every 30 minutes to every 20 minutes.
  • 87 Friendship: Trip times are adjusted. During weekday peak hours, trip frequency in peak directions is increased from every 10 minutes to every 8 minutes. Additionally, some Morningside trips (marked 87M) are extended to the Shop’n Save in Lawrenceville. On Saturdays, trip frequency is increased from every 45 minutes to every 40 minutes. On Sundays, a round trip is added at 5:50 p.m. (Downtown time).
  • P12 Holiday Park Flyer: The inbound trips arriving Downtown at 7:46 a.m. and 7:56 a.m. are discontinued, as is the outbound trip leaving Downtown at 5:05 p.m. Multiple morning and evening trip times are changed.
  • P68 Braddock Hills Flyer: Trip times are adjusted. Note: The new schedule will be posted shortly; the original schedule PDF posted contained an error on the P71 section.
  • P71 Swisshelm Park-Rankin Flyer: Trip times are adjusted. The 7:20 a.m. outbound trip is moved to 7:35 a.m. and the 9:10 a.m. inbound trip is moved to 9:15 a.m. (Downtown times). Note: The new schedule will be posted shortly; the original schedule PDF posted contained an error.
  • Y1 Large Flyer: Trip times are adjusted.
  • Y45 Baldwin Manor Flyer: Trip times are adjusted.
  • Y46 Elizabeth Flyer: Trip times are adjusted. On weekdays, one new morning inbound trip and one new afternoon outbound trip are added. Midday weekday frequency is increased from every 60 minutes to every 50 minutes; weekday evening frequency is increased from every 60 minutes to every 45 minutes. On Saturdays, Century III Mall service is added on two evening trips and some late night trip times are changed.
  • Y47 Curry Flyer: Trip times are adjusted.
  • Y49 Prospect Park Flyer: Trip times are adjusted.
The next regular quarterly schedule adjustment will take place in March 2013. For questions or assistance, dial Customer Service at 412-442-2000 or for TTY, 412-231-7007.