Питтсбургский региональный транспорт: история и современность

Public transit agency in Pennsylvania, US

Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT, formerly Port Authority of Allegheny County) is the second largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and the 20th largest in the United States. The state funded agency is based in Pittsburgh and is overseen by a CEO and a board of unpaid volunteer directors, some of whom are appointed by the county executive and approved by the county council; and one each by the majority and minority leaders by each political party. After operating as the Port Authority of Allegheny County for most of its history, the agency rebranded under its current name in June 2022. In , the system had a ridership of
Pittsburgh Regional Transit's bus, light rail and funicular system covers Allegheny County. On some longer distance routes, service extends into neighboring counties such as Beaver, Washington, and Westmoreland. These counties have their own transit systems, including several routes that run into downtown Pittsburgh, where riders can make connections with PRT service.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit was created as the Port Authority of Allegheny County by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1956 to allow for creation of port facilities in the Pittsburgh area. Three years later, the legislation was amended to allow the Port Authority to acquire privately owned transit companies that served the area. This included the Pittsburgh Railways Company and 32 independent bus and incline operations. On April 19, 1963, the Board of Allegheny County Commissioners authorized the acquisition of 32 transit companies, including the Pittsburgh Railways Company, which had provided bus and streetcar service to Pittsburgh since January 1902, and an incline plane company, for about $12 million. Shortly after the Port Authority began service, 150 GM "Fishbowl" buses were introduced to replace aging ones acquired from its predecessors, a new route numbering convention was introduced, and the fare system was streamlined. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Port Authority hoped to introduce a modern rapid transit system known as Skybus with rubber tired vehicles running on rails, but the plan fell through. In the early 1970s, the Port Authority entered what was dubbed by its fans the "Mod" era, with buses repainted in splashy paint schemes. Several new flyer routes and routes to Oakland's university core were introduced as part of a new general marketing strategy. These new routes, coupled with the 1973 oil crisis, generated a major increase in ridership. In spite of these setbacks, the South Busway opened in 1977 and plans for other capital investments were made. Construction of a light rail line that started in downtown south to traverse Beechview, with lines to South Hills Village and Library progressed during the decade. The agency was rocked by a four week strike due to a labor dispute in 1992. Several capital projects, such as the construction of a western busway and light rail extensions were considered. In 2000, the West Busway from the Ohio River to Carnegie was opened. Shortly thereafter, new bus routes to outlying communities such as Cranberry were established. In 2003, a short extension of the East Busway was completed. The following year, the Overbrook light rail line was re opened after a lengthy reconstruction. In order to provide a dedicated source of funding, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato introduced the controversial 10% Allegheny County Alcoholic Beverage Tax in 2008 to fund the agency. Later that same year, another strike was narrowly averted. The agency is planning a major service overhaul that will begin to go into effect in March 2010. Pittsburgh Regional Transit pays $168,763 annually to Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney and $48,750 annually to Greenlee Partners to lobby the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Between 2007 and 2010, Pittsburgh Regional Transit cut its annual expenses by $52 million and raised its revenues by $14 million to help alleviate a statewide transportation funding crisis. The funding crisis only grew worse, however. The state legislature assumed it would receive permission to convert Interstate 80 into a toll road to increase revenues, but the federal government denied the request, leading to a gap in the state transportation budget of $472 million. On November 24, 2010, Pittsburgh Regional Transit's board of directors approved a massive service cut and fare hike to go into effect in March 2011, reducing service hours by approximately 35 percent, including the elimination of 45 routes. Chairperson Guy Mattola stated that "Unfortunately, we are now at the point that all options have been exhausted It is necessary to move forward with this service reduction plan recognizing the devastating consequences for riders and non riders alike." On December 13, 2010, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission approved a plan by governor Ed Rendell to allocate $45 million in temporary funding for Pittsburgh Regional Transit to help reduce the magnitude of these service cuts. Many details of the emergency funding, including how long Pittsburgh Regional Transit must make the $45 million last and exactly how many routes slated to be cut could be saved, were not settled by the end of 2010. On March 27, 2011, a 15 percent service reduction went into force. Twenty nine routes were removed, thirty seven reduced, and a bus maintenance facility shut down. On September 2, 2012, a 35% reduction is scheduled; fares rose on July 1 to $2.50 in Zone 1. In November 2013, the Pennsylvania legislature approved a long awaited and hotly debated transportation bill, now known as Act 89. Act 89 provided dedicated funding to Pittsburgh Regional Transit, putting the agency on more solid financial footing. One of the routes cut in 2011, the 55 Glassport, was restored in 2013.

Although Pittsburgh Regional Transit is part of the local fans' folklore, its off beat imaging is more notorious. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s the bus fleet was very recognizable with its fleet of air conditioned GM "Fishbowls" (from their 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1971 orders) sporting a white top with small red strip. On September 21, 2006, the then Port Authority announced that it was retiring the "Ride Gold" campaign and that the bus and light rail fleet will follow the standard design and uniform colors of its Gillig bus fleet. at Gateway Station, it was announced that the Port Authority of Allegheny County was rebranding due to their name being a misnomer. It was said that the new name better represented who they are and how they were viewed.

On April 29, 2016, following several months of public hearings, Pittsburgh Regional Transit's board of directors voted unanimously to implement sweeping changes to the fare system in 2017, including a decrease in fares for some riders for the first time in over 35 years. The new fare system eliminated the current zone based fare collection in favor of a flat $2.50 single ride fare for all riders who pay via ConnectCard, and $2.75 for those who pay with cash. The first transfer to another line made within three hours costs $1.00. Beginning January 1, 2022, ConnectCard users paid $2.75 single fare ride with a three hour free transfer period. Cash users still pay $2.75 per ride. Riders between Zones 1 and 2 used to pay a single ride fare of $3.75, one of the highest intra urban fares in the country. Although doing so was estimated to lose $4 million in revenue for the agency, the 25 cent cash surcharge aims to recoup at least some of the losses, along with eliminating paper transfer tickets for cash fares and establishing a $2 surcharge for new or replacement ConnectCard purchases. These changes are also intended to discourage paying fares with cash in favor of increased ConnectCard use, which the agency also says will speed up trip times. Seniors 65 years and older and up to three children below 6 ride for free with a fare paying rider; disabled and Medicare users, as well as children ages 6 to 11, pay either $1.35 in cash or $1.25 with ConnectCard, and $0.50 for transfers. The agency also voted to abolish the "pay enter/pay leave" fare collection policy in favor of all riders simply paying their fare upon entering the bus regardless of destination, similar to the method used on most other American transit agencies. This change eliminated the free fare zone in downtown Pittsburgh, excluding rides on the "T" between Downtown and the North Shore which remain accessible for no charge. The agency also eventually plans to implement a proof of payment system, with riders required to scan their ConnectCards at kiosks on station platforms prior to boarding and Pittsburgh Regional Transit fare officers performing random inspections on board to ensure payment. Originally the free fare zone applied only until 7 p. m. on both buses and light rail, but it was expanded to 24 hours on the latter in 1989. Zone 1 was the zone closest to downtown Pittsburgh, and Zone 2 comprised the outer half of Allegheny County and all stops outside of Allegheny County. A few routes cross briefly into neighboring counties. The system used an "outbound" pay system for daytime transit to and from downtown. Fare was paid when boarding on the "outbound" part of the route. This applies only on buses that serve downtown; on most that do not serve downtown, the rider pays upon entry. Pittsburgh Regional Transit sells non discounted single use tickets, and discounted weekly, monthly and annual passes. Each carries a small discount over earlier time based passes and is valid for an unlimited number of trips/transfers in the specified zone(s) for that time period. For example, for a zone 1 pass the cost of a weekly is the equivalent of 9.5 one way trips, a monthly is equivalent to 34 trips, and an annual is equivalent to 377 trips. An annual pass is a 12 month subscription to monthly passes, which can be either mailed or picked up at the Downtown Service Center on Smithfield Street. Students and staff of several colleges in the area, most notably Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, ride the bus for free: students pay a fee each semester to the PRT. Pittsburgh Regional Transit installed new fareboxes on all buses in 2011, and has converted to a smart card fare collection system marketed as the "ConnectCard" starting in early 2012. In September 2011, the last remaining buses received bike racks.

In December 1977, the Port Authority unveiled its first dedicated busway, the 4.3 mile South Busway, which combined bus and light rail routes into an efficient and quicker connection between downtown Pittsburgh and the South Hills area. The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway, which used express routes to connect downtown with nearby east side communities like Swissvale, Wilkinsburg and Homewood followed in February 1983. On Sunday, September 10, 2000, Port Authority opened its West Busway, which provides service from downtown Pittsburgh to Carnegie. In 2003, the East Busway was expanded by a few miles to Swissvale and Rankin. On July 22, 2011, the Port Authority approved spending at least $1 million, including $837,993 in federal funding and $209,498 in county money, to study developing a rapid bus line from Downtown to the Oakland section. The study was projected to take 18 months and use no money from Pittsburgh Regional Transit's operating budget. The study resulted in planning for the new University Line which began construction in 2022. Rerouting existing bus routes and implementing other system changes began in October 2023.

All of PRT's bus fleet (except for buses individually contracted) as of 2019 is low floor.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit operates more than 60 park and ride lots in Allegheny County. It owns 66 transit bridges, 11 highway bridges and four tunnels. Under the PRT sponsored ACCESS program, a private contractor provides door to door service to elderly and disabled passengers throughout the county, seven days a week from 6 a. m. to midnight. Reservations are placed one day in advance. The ACCESS program is noted as one of the first, most innovative and best in the nation. Between 2001 and 2004 the Port Authority worked with the local community group Ground Zero to create and operate the "Ultra Violet Loop"; known to some as the "party bus", the UV Loop bus was special service operated on Friday and Saturday nights through the early morning, serving city nightlife and university centers. The UV Loop bus was part of special evaluative service supported in part by local foundations and businesses. While it was well regarded in the abstract, it never achieved the ridership and consistent service needed to continue without external support. The "Ultra Violet Loop" name is a play on the Pittsburgh/Allegheny County Belt System.

Several capital expansions have been proposed from various sources. The construction of a light rail line from Oakland to Pittsburgh International Airport has been proposed by County Executive Dan Onorato and former Congressman Mike Doyle, projected to cost about $3.5 billion. Doyle has recently submitted a request to the Federal government to study the feasibility of the project. Studies for a commuter rail line from downtown to Arnold along the right of way of the Allegheny Valley Railroad and from downtown to Greensburg along the right of way of Norfolk Southern railroad are also underway. According to the feasibility study, it is unclear whether Pittsburgh Regional Transit, the Westmoreland County Transit Authority, or an as yet created independent agency would operate the railway.

Since 2007, Pittsburgh Regional Transit cut annual expenses by $52 million and raised revenues by $14 million to help alleviate a $472 million gap in the state transportation budget. Since Governor Tom Corbett's 2012 budget, Pittsburgh Regional Transit has renewed plans to cut service by 35% if the state fails to help with a projected $64 million budget deficit.