The final draft of the Bus Line Refresh (BLR) is here: the major change to PRT’s bus service that has been in the works since 2024. Last week, we shared some topline key points around the BLR: to maximize benefits and reduce harms, PRT should use it as an opportunity to show Harrisburg why they should fund a visionary transit plan to meet the service needs of all communities.
Now, riders have until September 30th to tell PRT how the draft would impact them. To help you craft your comment, we’ve put together a deep dive into some of the finer points of the BLR final draft.
This is a massive, complex proposal—and you don’t have to piece through it alone! Below are some major takeaways, both good and bad, after a week of analyzing the final draft. We’ve also included some important resources that can help you determine how the plan will impact your communities before you submit your comment to PRT.
What we learned
PPT’s member-led Research Committee has been analyzing the BLR final draft continuously since it was released. Here’s some of what the Committee found:
- Less service area, but more service frequency where it exists.
Since the BLR is cost-neutral, the final draft eliminates service in several outlying communities in order to increase service frequency in areas that currently have higher ridership. In other words, the bus would go fewer places than it does now—but for many of those places, service would likely be more frequent.
- The Busline Refresh plan overall would provide more service for high equity communities- except for older adults.
The Research Committee cross-referenced the BLR with census data, and found that service gains go more frequently to areas with more Black, Brown, car-free, and lower-income residents. Conversely, service losses are more frequently found in whiter, more suburban areas. Older adults (65+) are the group which will lose the most service. (Note that this is an imperfect way of measuring bus service, and does not account for factors such as sidewalk conditions, final destination, and availability at different times of day.)
- Buses would be scheduled at much more predictable and regular intervals.
Currently, buses are scheduled in odd and unpredictable intervals (like every 37 minutes), making it difficult for riders to calculate when the next bus is going to arrive. Under the Bus Line Refresh Draft 3.0, buses are scheduled in intervals like every 15 min, 20 min, 40 min, or once an hour.
Key resources
As you put together your comment to PRT, here are some resources you can use to determine how the BLR would impact you specifically.
Communities most harmed
We believe it’s important to highlight the communities that stand to lose the most service under the BLR. In order to minimize harms, PRT needs to hear feedback from people most harmed by the plan, especially those who have no other transportation options. Here is a list of communities that would lose the most, sorted alphabetically. Please look this through to see if your communities are listed, and learn more about the impacts.
Route-by-route
PRT has some resources breaking down changes to each individual route. Our member research committee dug even deeper into the data, and produced this route-by-route list, with the good and bad changes listed side by side.
This is a great way for you to see what the real-life impacts of the BLR would be on your everyday routes.
Maps
If you’re a visual learner, there are several maps to review:
- For a top-level overview, check out PRT’s interactive system-wide map
- To model your commutes and estimate travel times, you can use the Transit App! Check out our tutorial for this feature. (Note that this only works on mobile devices, and requires an app download and login.)
- For a more in-depth system map, and stop-by-stop information, check out the interactive map below, built by a Research Committee member! This is a treasure trove of info, and works best on desktop. More on that below.
Interactive system map
This interactive map, built by PPT Research Committee member and founder of Lemali Consulting, Max Chis, is your best bet if you want to really dive deep into BLR data. Note that it’s best on desktop, and may have a few bugs, but it is the best way to view changes to the system stop by stop.
The map has multiple views: Locations (individual bus stops), Surfaces (100m blocks around bus stops), and Streets (streets that currently or would have a bus run on it). Each view is color-coded to show if that stop or street would gain, lose, or maintain its current level of service if the BLR is implemented.
The map can show whether your stop gains or loses one-stop rides to Oakland, Downtown, or any other point you choose. It can also be toggled to show weekday, Saturday, or Sunday service levels.
The map is a treasure trove of information, and has even more features. Feel free to explore each one. Massive thanks to Max for building this resource!
How to influence the Bus Line Refresh final draft
Here’s the good news: transit riders like you still have the chance to make sure the Bus Line Refresh maximizes benefit, while minimizing harms. Here’s how:
- Learn more about the draft!
The Bus Line Refresh is a big, complex plan—but you don’t need to piece through it alone:- Attend Organizer Office Hours on Wednesday, September 2nd (in person or virtual) to learn more about the draft, and practice shaping your feedback to PRT
- Attend the PPT Monthly Meeting on Wednesday, September 9th to learn more about the draft and prepare for the public hearing the next day
- Comment on the draft!
The Bus Line Refresh is a massive, confusing proposal, and it can be hard to draft comments. That’s why we made a Mad-Libs-style comment template, to help you craft a comment for PRT. Check out our tool, make a copy, and customize it to show how the Refresh impacts you, alongside the things our system needs as a whole. - Attend the public hearing!
PRT needs to hear from you about how the final Bus Line Refresh impacts your community. Save the date: join transit riders at the public hearing Downtown on September 10th to give your testimony.