Riders protest Pittsburgh Regional Transit's plan to shorten 4 routes

A group of bus riders on Friday protested Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s plan to shorten four bus routes starting Sunday, saying the changes will adversely affect city residents, particularly in Uptown and Downtown.

The transit agency said the routes are being shortened because of the University Line bus-rapid transit construction project and to address problems with drivers’ schedules. The future rapid transit line will run from Downtown through Uptown and on to Oakland.

The agency said the vast majority of riders in the affected corridor can still get to their destinations without transferring buses.

Alisa Grishman is disabled and lives in Uptown. She told Pittsburgh Regional Transit board members that she and other Uptown residents will be losing direct access to grocery stores and other amenities in the city’s East End.

“We don’t have a Plan B,” Grishman said. “Please don’t eliminate the 61 and 71 buses that are running through Uptown. They are a lifeline to a community that is already in desperate need.”

More than 25 people spoke at Friday’s Pittsburgh Regional Transit board meeting, including several who live along the routes that will be cut and said their transit access to work and amenities like grocery stores will become burdensome and more inconvenient. Residents also said cash riders will be harmed by having to transfer to get Downtown, and pay an additional fare. The group also held a rally in Downtown before the meeting.

Starting Sunday, bus routes 61D-Murray, 71A-Negley, 71C-Point Breeze and 71D-Hamilton will end in Oakland, no longer serving Uptown and Downtown. Pittsburgh Regional Transit said these buses will have the word “short” added to their route displays. The agency will have staff in Oakland next week to inform riders of the changes.

The University Line is a $291 million project that recently received $150 million in federal funds, enabling construction to begin this year. The project aims to shorten travel times, improve bus service and upgrade infrastructure between Oakland and Downtown, the region’s two largest job centers.

Deb Goyacochea, a Downtown resident, said the bus route changes will worsen her quality of life.

“I selected where I live because of proximity to bus service, and this makes a big difference,” she said.

Pittsburgh Regional Transit CEO Katharine Kelleman said construction has already begun for the University Line and will continue for at least two years. She said shortening the four routes is a proactive step to try to stave off systemwide effects.

Kelleman said the service changes have been planned since 2018 and agency held many public meetings, with residents largely approving of adjustments she made when she came on board that year.

There are about 12,300 riders in the corridor of the 61 and 71 bus routes, and 97% of those riders will keep access to bus rides without transferring, Kelleman said. She said the agency data shows that the changes mean 1% of riders will have to transfer and about 1% will have to walk to a different bus stop or take a different route than before.

Kelleman acknowledged that having to transfer will be a burden for the 1% who will have to do so, but she said that most of the complaints the agency receives are about reliability of buses and that is the top service priority.

“This is our best chance to get our routes the most reliable,” Kelleman said.

She added that bus driver shortages have made service less reliable across the Pittsburgh Regional Transit coverage area and drivers are experiencing longer shifts and fewer breaks. The service changes going into effect Sunday are intended to address those issues.

Ross Nicotero, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 85 that represents drivers, said the union does not support the route changes and called them “an unfortunate situation.”

He said drivers’ preferences should not be used as justifications for the changes.

“It is not the members’ fault, this falls on you,” he said to the Pittsburgh Regional Transit board. “This will not come back on the backs of our members.”

Kelleman said she has visited every agency garage in September. She said drivers have been telling her that it’s been difficult to hit routes on time, and she wants to help accommodate them.

“I am sure people talk to the union president differently than they talk to me,” she said.