Promising better service to at least 75 percent of its riders, Port Authority of Allegheny County's board Friday approved a fare increase and a plan to bolster busy routes with buses cut from underused or duplicate routes.
The board unanimously passed the first overhaul of Port Authority's service in 30 years, along with a fare increase expected to generate $4.8 million to plug a deficit in this year's $363 million operating budget.
"This overhaul is long overdue," said Guy Mattola, chairman of the board's planning and development committee.
CEO Steve Bland said when it's fully implemented, the Transit Development Plan will trim 186 bus and light-rail routes to about 120 by cutting or consolidating low-ridership routes or multiple routes serving areas. Buses cut from those routes will be moved to make service more frequent on busier routes, increasing the number of trips systemwide by about 8 percent.
The changes will be accompanied by a 15-cent increase in fare for Zone 2 trips to and from Pittsburgh suburbs and areas outside Allegheny County. The costs of transfers, peak-hour surcharges for the T, and weekly, monthly and annual passes will increase slightly. The fare increase will take effect Jan. 1.
The authority tweaked some route changes in response to more than 5,400 comments it received in the month since the plan's release, including restoration of service to some neighborhoods such as Bon Air and destinations such as Community College of Allegheny County's Boyce Campus. Meetings with the union representing drivers ruled out some streets and turns that could not accommodate buses.
"Process-wise, it was really good ... and I'm glad to see Port Authority made some last-minute changes," said Jonathan Robison, president of the Allegheny County Transit Council, the riders' advisory committee. "It's not perfect, but we'll work together going forward."
He lauded the agency's continuation of "lifeline" service a few times a day to areas where demand was not high but people served are poor, elderly or otherwise transit-dependent.
Robison had stronger reservations about the fare increase, especially the 25-cent hike in the price of a transfer to $0.75. Those who take the bus far enough to transfer between routes are more likely to be low-income or transit- dependent, he said.
"If you have a car and the gas to drive it, or you have to take two buses to get to your destination, are you more likely to take the bus or drive?" Robison said.
Starting in March and lasting until March 2012, officials will phase in route and schedule changes, with neighborhood outreach efforts and meetings to explain the changes before they happen, Bland said.
Port Authority will take advantage of the communication network it built during September's G-20 summit — e-mail lists, contacts at Downtown employers and followers online at Twitter — to send out information about the plan.
Where the changes will begin hasn't been determined.
Starting Jan. 1, Port Authority's $1.50 Downtowner zone that covered the Strip District, Station Square and North Shore will merge with Zone 1.
Zone 3, which covered areas outside Allegheny County, will merge with Zone 2, which covers areas beyond Ross in the north, Robinson in the west, Baldwin Borough in the south and Churchill in the east. Buses and the T will be free for trips within Downtown.
The fares and fees will be: Zone 1: $2 base fare, $20 weekly pass, $80 monthly pass, $880 annual pass; Zone 2: $2.75 fare, $27.50 weekly pass, $105 monthly pass, $1,155 annual pass.
Transfers for a one-zone ride in any direction on a connecting vehicle, good for three hours: $0.75
Additional charge for riding the T inbound 6-9 a.m. or outbound 4-6:30 p.m. weekdays: $0.75
• Add "rapid bus" express service to Oakland and Downtown from Pittsburgh International Airport, the East End and Mon Valley communities. Specially branded buses would serve dedicated stops with off-bus fare payment and other amenities.
• Establish "transit centers" in the suburbs, with parking, bus pull-ins and station amenities for people making transfers.
• Simplify route names, with numbers for regular bus routes, colors for light rail and busways, and letters for the rapid buses and routes using busways.
• Eliminate variations in bus routes that make it harder to predict when and where buses will stop. If a variant is heavily used, it will be added to the regular route.
• Create guidelines for spacing of stops, depending on terrain, density and the type of bus routes serving them. Existing stops will be measured against them and could be cut or consolidated.
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