• September 5th, 2023
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Transit Advisory: Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) will host a meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12, to explain and answer any questions about the upcoming service adjustments, particularly the changes to the 61- & 71-series bus routes scheduled to go into effect on October 1, 2023. Visit https://bit.ly/3Ps2dEw to register to attend the meeting focused on the new "University Line" impacting riders to/through Oakland.

According to PRT, these changes come as part of facilitating the flow of traffic during construction of their University Line bus rapid transit project. Details on service changes can be found at https://prt-brt-newshub.prezly.com/service-adjustments-go-into-effect-on-october-1-meeting-scheduled-to-discuss-changes.

In a nutshell: 61D-Murray, 71A-Negley, 71C-Point Breeze, and 71D-Hamilton will end their inbound trips in Oakland and will no longer serve Uptown and downtown Pittsburgh.

Riders who currently take the 61D, 71A, 71C or 71D to Uptown or downtown Pittsburgh can instead take the 61A-North Braddock, 61B-Braddock-Swissvale, 61C-McKeesport-Homestead or 71B-Highland Park bus routes or transfer to these routes in Oakland. Transfers are free for three hours for riders who use a ConnectCard or a mobile ticket.

To support these changes, PRT will add service on routes 82-Lincoln, 87-Friendship, and the P7-McKeesport Flyer, each of which share portions of their service areas with the shortened routes.

PRT will host an online meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 12 to answer any questions riders may have on the changes. Registration is required. Please visit https://rideprt.org/october-2023-service-adjustments-meeting to sign up to attend online or by calling PRT Customer Service at 412-442-2000 to sign up to join by phone.

The meeting follows several rounds of public engagement related to these changes, including a formal public meeting in January.

PRT is working to make sure riders are aware of the changes ahead of time. In addition to placing signs at every inbound and some outbound bus stops that will be impacted by these changes, signs will be posted inside buses and audio messages will play on buses that travel the corridor.

Additionally, employees will be riding buses to remind riders of the changes the week before they go into effect and the week after the changes are implemented.

In addition to the adjustments described above, additional changes to service will be as follows:

Service frequency on the P1-East Busway will increase to minimize crowding during rush hours. Along with this change, the P2-East Busway Short variant of the P1 will be eliminated and all P2 trips will become P1 trips.

Some morning and evening 79-East Hills trips will be converted into P17-Lincoln Flyer trips that will serve Wilkinsburg Station. The 79 will operate an extension between Lincoln Avenue at Verona Boulevard and Wilkinsburg Station.

The detour for the weight-restricted Grant Avenue Bridge in Millvale will be built into the schedule for the 2-Mount Royal.

The detours for the city’s Charles Anderson Bridge rehabilitation project in Oakland will be built into the schedules for the 58-Greenfield, 65-Squirrel Hill, and 93-Lawrenceville-Hazelwood.

The 59-Mon Valley will terminate at Mountain View Drive at Home Depot due to the closure of Century III Mall Drive.