Port Authority’s Quarterly Service Changes that go into effect this Sunday, November 22nd, will add weekend service to nearly all local routes in its system. This is an enormous victory and is the culmination of years of riders organizing neighborhood service campaigns with PPT over the last four years!
Additionally, Port Authority plans to DOUBLE service frequency on the 59-Mon Valley route, responding to another call that riders have been making since the start of the pandemic!
Service frequency will also be increased on the 1, 12 and 51.
The 1, 12, 51 and 59 are some of the local routes that have maintained high ridership throughout this pandemic. These changes make it more possible for transit-reliant communities to access their essential needs and jobs, AND for riders and transit operators to stay safe and socially distant while on the bus.
Congrats to all the riders who organized to win these permanent service increases!
22 – McCoy
93 – Hazelwood
2 – Millvale
39 – Brookline
“Without access to the 39 on weekends our neighborhood’s next closest transit access is a forty-minute walk to the T stop in Dormont. This means a lot for my community.”
– Nora Kelly, Leader on the 39 Brookline Neighborhood Service Campaign
…Although these service improvements are to be celebrated, the proposed temporary service reductions to other routes pose a serious concern.
The Port Authority has also included in this round of service changes some very significant frequency reductions on some routes that raise our concern. While these changes are intended to be temporary, service reductions without a clear timeline for full reinstatement can lead to permanent cuts, particularly coupled with the uncertainty around state and federal funding during this pandemic. We know that reduced service means reduced ridership, which in turn leads to reduced service… and this transit death spiral would be catastrophic for us all– for our riders and workers, for our air quality, our business community, and the region as a whole.
To keep these service cuts from becoming permanent, we have to continue organizing for a just and full recovery from COVID-19. We stand with transit riders across the country for a $32 billion dollar federal stimulus for our nation’s public transit systems, and a fair federal formula for transit. PA legislators must pass a progressive and sustainable dedicated transit funding source to keep riders moving through this pandemic and beyond.
Read more about this quarter’s changes on the Port Authority’s website or scan through the notes on changes below that were compiled by @PGH_BUS_INFO (a volunteer-run resource for your Pittsburgh transit service questions!)
Notes on Service Changes from the @PGH_BUS_INFO Hotline
Hey folks it’s service update blog time with your friends from PPT and @PGH_BUS_INFO Hotline. It’s been a long and trying year and quite a while since one of these blogs as traditional Port Authority changes haven’t been occurring in these non-traditional times of the pandemic.
This unorthodox round of changes is pretty darn big with a mix of good, bad and ugly!
Changes include a mix of service cuts, redistribution and improvements to some places. Below are some points we want to highlight about this quarter’s changes. See Port Authority’s website for the full rundown.
These changes start Sunday, November 22nd 2020
———
Service added on all weekdays to address Covid capacity limits and ridership volumes. Schedules fully revised.
The Pros – 1 extra later trip in both directions on Weeknights
The Cons – Sadly the Weekend didn’t see much TLC or later service
Service revised on weekends and Holidays, weekend service after doing the current weekend loop of MILLVALE and the strip have been extended to Shaler, Mt Royal Blvd and North Hills
The Pros – More service to N Hills and folks in Shaler can go places on weekends
The Cons – Service still ends too early and they axed 1 trip on weekends to presumably accommodate the weekend extension
Service via 9th Street Bridge restored after bridge work was completed. “Peak/ Rush Hour” Service reduced
The Pros – not seeing many pros.
The Cons – Reductions in “peak/rush” service. Also unfortunate that this was one of the only Local routes that wasn’t included in the weekend service increase and they still lack service on Sunday. Not cool.
Service restored via Rachel Carson Bridge. Peak service reductions.
The cons – Anyone else sensing a trend in slashing rush hour service and late-night service?
Service added on ALL DAYS. Schedule revised. Service via Rachel Carson restored.
The Pros – This is a “Hallelujah” The he North Hills corridor needed this extra love and slightly later service.
Reduced peak service
The Cons – Oh look more rush hour reductions, which are only compounded to greater restrictions w the COVID capacity limits. Totally makes sense during a pandemic.
The cons – Reduced service squeezes more folks onto fewer buses at rush hour period
Added Saturday, Sunday and Holiday Service! This gives much-needed weekend service to folks. But we’d like to see the buses run later.
Sunday and holiday service added! A PPT Campaign victory! Would still love to see the buses run later on weekdays and weekends though.
Peak service reductions on 26 and 27
More peak service reductions.
Saturday, Sunday and Holiday Service added
More peak service reductions makes rush hour travel even harder considering COVID capacity limits
The pros – A PPT + rider victory! Saturday service re-introduction. Sunday + holiday service established for the 1st time in nearly 2 decades!
The pros – some late-night service is added!
The cons – The service reduction theme continues. The need for later weekend service remains unaddressed.
The Pros – Sunday service restored!
The Cons – peak service reductions
More service reductions throughout the schedule. At least 1 full trip cut in the evenings causing service to end earlier.
More Peak service reductions
Service reductions across the board. This is starting to feel criminal.
Minor service increases for weekday service! Would love to see it extended to the weekend.
Tons of added service! Makes us want to be partying in the streets – oh wait….COVID.
Service reductions across the board
Service reductions across the board
Service reductions across the board. And service was already bad on this route.
A MASSIVE WIN for riders in the Mon Valley. Service increased to every 30-minutes for most of the day on weekdays (up from 60-minutes!). This is a huge improvement because the 59 has consistently had some of the strongest ridership of any route in the entire system. Lets build on this and spread it to the 55 thats intertwined with this route – and to every route across the system!
A rider victory! More service to the people with the addition of Sunday + Holiday Service. Port Authority had mistakenly announced that weekend would be added a few quarters back, but more buses never made it to the street. Now we need to see more weekend service.
Frequency reduced and some trips cut…
Peak service reductions. The pros? [Error 404 not found]. Riders, the writers of this blog and some others might need an aspirin, a drink, and something for that feeling in the pit of our stomachs!
Sunday and holiday service added for the first time in over 20 years! This is much-needed and long-overdue. People can finally use the connections the 74 provides year-round. Unfortunately, the bus only runs once an hour and stops too early and the tight schedule encourages drivers to either speed or just be late.
The Pros – Finally the 87 is looping town the way it should have for years even back as the 77D / 77F / 77G
The cons – Service reductions… need we say more? And there is still no weekend 87M service.
Service reductions. This is not good news when this line services hospitals and the strip district…
Another big win for riders in Hazelwood who have been organizing for improved transit service. Saturday service re-introduced for the 1st time since the Route was practically new! Sunday + Holiday Service established for the 1st time ever on the route. This is especially important because the 58 and 65 had big cuts this round.
But unfortunately, weekends drop to hourly service. We have to do better.
Peak service reductions.
Service reductions
Service reductions
Significant service reductions. In case anyone wasn’t already thinking this, we must fight for dedicated transit funding at the local, county, and state levels.
Significant service reductions. This feels like one step forward two steps back after it was announced last year that service would be expanded to CCAC…
Both P1 and P2 are seeing service reductions. This is really not good news. The east busway was previously our most efficient transit asset. And there is still a decent volume of riders onboard here.
More service reductions….
Reductions in service
Service reductions
Significant service reductions with multiple cut trips
Service reduced to hour for rush hour. Really bad news for an express route.
Service reductions. (It feel like the copy paste function is stuck in the in on position….)
Service reductions
Service added on all days. Most ( but not all ) trips extended to Forbes Regional Hospital. This will be the ONLY Transit route that’ll directly serve Forbes Hospital and is a big deal for Mon Valley riders who have been calling for access to healthcare and jobs.
Service reductions
fin.