Port Authority Changes Routes in March

There will be changes to about 60 Port Authority bus and trolley routes starting March 14. PAT Spokesman Jim Ritchie says this will be the first phase of an overhaul that will eventually affect every rider.
Ritchie says the Port Authority has never done anything like this before. He says for the last two years, they’ve taken a hard look at their system to find where the supply and demand is. With that, they’ve figured out a system that meets the current demand.
Ritchie says of the 60 routes, some will be improved, some will be consolidated into other routes with those services picked up by other routes that are already serving the same corridor, and there’ll be a number of routes that will change in name. He says overall, most people will get the same services that they do today.
Some of the routes that will be discontinued are 3L Creighton-Lower Burrell Express, 3M Tarentum Natrona Express, 24A Crafton-Presston, 33F McDonald, 44D Jefferson, 44E Inglewood, 44F Terrace, 55D West Run, 55E Whitaker-West Mifflin, 58P Port Vue-Liberty Express, and 58V Versailles Express. The full list can be found on Port Authority’s website.
The Light Rail Transit routes’ names will be changed from numbers and letters to colors. The 42C and 42S will become the Red Line; 47L and 47S will become the Blue Line; and 52 will become the Brown Line.
The 28X Airport Express will begin direct operation between Oakland, Downtown and Pittsburgh International, cutting the detour into Robinson Town Centre. A different route will serve the shopping district.
Ritchie says 90 percent of riders will either maintain the service that they have today, or enjoy some sort of benefit, meaning that their trips might be more frequent. He says ten percent of riders will find that they won’t be served the way they are today and they’re going to have to find another option.