Release Date: Friday, March 26th 2010

Port Authority Route Improvements Start April 4

Pittsburgh, PA, March 25, 2010 – The first large-scale improvement of Port Authority of Allegheny County’s route network will start in less than two weeks – Sunday, April 4, 2010.

About 60 bus and light-rail routes will change in this first phase. The remaining changes to more than 100 other routes will occur in phases over the next two years.

These are the most extensive system-wide improvements at Port Authority since its creation in the mid-1960s. Many bus routes still follow old trolley lines across Allegheny County even though populations and employment centers have moved.

The Authority also is replacing its aging fare collection equipment and will offer riders the use of smart cards. Both projects are projected to be completed in 2012.

Details of the upcoming route changes are available online and in print:

· PortAuthority.org offers easy-to-use tools to help riders understand route changes.
· Brochures that outline route-by-route changes are available at the Downtown Service Center and other schedule rack locations.

· Schedules are available system-wide that details the new routes and route names.

Port Authority also has provided information in Spanish, including a Web portal and route brochures.
A mobile page is available at www.portauthority.org/m that offers a quick way for smartphone users to determine if a route is changing. The new routes will be available for trip planning via Google Maps starting April 4.

And, Port Authority employees are passing out flyers at key stops in Downtown Pittsburgh.
The changes follow two years of planning and more than 160 public open houses, community meetings and public hearings. The Authority received about 5,500 comments on the plans and made changes to 27 routes prior to adopting them.

Riders and local leaders repeatedly have called for better transit options - something more convenient, efficient and easier to understand. State officials who help fund Port Authority have demanded change. The state funding formula adopted two years ago requires us to pursue a more efficient system. That means moving underused routes to areas that demand more service.

The Authority has developed a system that will move Port Authority's service network forward. It eliminates duplication. It’s simpler. And, it ensures Port Authority will not hinder its ability to receive transit funding.

The plan is not a reduction in service. The Authority simply is matching demand with service. The number of weekday bus trips, for example, will increase by 6 percent even though the number of overall routes will drop from 186 to 122.