PAT Fares to Hold Steady

The Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT) will not increase its fare for short-distance riders in the near future, but long-distance travelers will have to pay a bit more. While the base fare of $2.00 will remain for Pittsburgh’s heavily trafficked, central bus corridors, an additional 25 cents will be charged to those who want transfer tickets or are going to “Zone 2,” which is comprised of more outlying areas.

The “Zone 3” designation will also be scrapped, says spokesman Jim Ritchie. He says PAT wants to cause less confusion on fare rates, so all of these routes will simply be merged with the Zone 2 area. He says this is part of an ongoing effort to “whittle down” the use of zones in the Port Authority’s fare system, which once had five of such districts. Zone 3 was the term for any destination outside Allegheny County, says Ritchie.