Port Authority of Allegheny County

Port Authority was created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1956 to allow for creation of port facilities in the Pittsburgh area.[5] Three years later, the legislation was amended to allow the Port Authority to acquire privately owned transit companies that served the area. This included the Pittsburgh Railways Company and 32 independent bus and incline operations.[6]

On April 19, 1963, the Board of Allegheny County Commissioners authorized the acquisition of 32 transit companies, including the Pittsburgh Railways Company, which had provided bus and streetcar service to Pittsburgh since January 1902, and an incline plane company, for about $12 million.[5] On March 1, 1964, Port Authority Transit began service.[7]

Port Authority light rail train, Washington Junction Station, March 2005.

Shortly after the Port Authority began service, 150 GM "Fishbowl" buses were introduced to replace aging ones acquired from its predecessors, a new route numbering convention was introduced, and the fare system was streamlined.[7] Due to urban sprawl, the agency introduced new routes that served new communities.[5] In the following years, additional buses were ordered and several new transit garages opened.[7] Many of the trolley lines acquired from Pittsburgh Railways were abandoned, and turned into bus lines; South Hills lines via Beechview and Overbrook were retained.[8] In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Port Authority hoped to introduce a modern rapid transit system known as Skybus with rubber-tired vehicles running on rails, but the plan fell through.[9]

In the early 1970s, the Port Authority entered what was dubbed by its fans the "Mod" era, with buses repainted in splashy paint schemes.[10] Several new flyer routes and routes to Oakland's university core were introduced as part of a new general marketing strategy.[10] In 1975 the Port Authority took over the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad commuter rail line to Versailles, which it branded PATrain.[11] These new routes, coupled with the 1973 oil crisis, generated a major increase in ridership.[10] Due to the poor state of the economy at the time, fares increased and there was a brief strike in 1976.[12] In spite of these setbacks, the South Busway opened in 1977 and plans for other capital investments were made.[5]

During the 1980s, with gas prices falling and population loss from the decline of the steel industry, ridership decreased and the agency lowered fares to attract new riders in the middle of the decade.[5] Many new buses were ordered, and the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway opened in 1983.[13] Construction of a light rail line that started in downtown south to traverse Beechview, with lines to South Hills Village and Library progressed during the decade.[5] Part of the line was an updated version of the old trolley system. In July 1985, the downtown subway opened, the Beechview line followed in 1987 and the Library line a year later.[13] In 1989, the agency celebrated its twenty-fifth year of existence, and commuter rail to Versailles was discontinued.[14]

The agency was rocked by a four-week strike due to a labor dispute in 1992.[12] The strike, coupled with changing demographic patterns, caused a decrease in ridership.[5] New buses that were compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 were introduced early in the decade.[5] In 1993, the badly deteriorated Overbrook light rail line was shut down, requiring trains to use the Beechview line.[15] Several capital projects, such as the construction of a western busway and light rail extensions were considered.[5] In 1998, the agency rebranded itself as "Ride Gold" with new paint schemes and a new marketing campaign.[16]

In 2000, the West Busway from the Ohio River to Carnegie was opened.[17] Shortly thereafter, new bus routes to outlying communities such as Cranberry were established.[18] In 2003, a short extension of the East Busway was completed.[19] The following year, the Overbrook light rail line was re-opened after a lengthy reconstruction.[15] Construction also started on a light rail extension to Pittsburgh's North Shore near Heinz Field, known as the North Shore Connector. Unfortunately, in spite of the capital projects expansion, the agency was in serious financial trouble by the middle of the decade. In June 2007, the agency went through with a 15 percent service cut in order to cut the deficit.[20] In order to provide a dedicated source of funding, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato introduced the controversial 10% Allegheny County Alcoholic Beverage Tax in 2008 to fund the agency.[21] Later that same year, another strike was narrowly averted.[22] The agency is planning a major service overhaul that will begin to go into effect in March 2010.[23]

The Port Authority pays $168,763 annually to Buchanan, Ingersoll & Rooney and $48,750 annually to Greenlee Partners to lobby the Pennsylvania General Assembly.[24]

The Steel Plaza subway station.

Although Port Authority is part of the local fans' folklore, its off-beat imaging is more notorious. Throughout the 1960s and early 1970s the bus fleet was very recognizable with its fleet of air-conditioned GM "Fishbowls" (from their 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967 and 1971 orders) sporting a white top with small red strip.[7] Other noticeable features included side destination signs placed near the exit door and an unusual seating arrangement with one side facing forward and the other lining up to match the seating placed on the wheel well.[7] PAT would continue ordering buses in that specification until 1995 when they ordered buses with both seating sides facing front except when on wheel wells. The side destination signs were moved immediately to the left of the front door starting with the 1998 Neoplan AN-460 (articulated bus) order. This continued with the Neoplan Metroliner order but skipped the Neoplan AN-440LF order in 1999. The 2003 order of Gillig Advantage low-floors and all subsequent orders have conformed with the side sign next to front door configuration. It is worth noting that the 1980 GM's RTS buses acquired were specified with the current side sign configuration.

By 1972 it entered what was dubbed by fans the "Mod" era, as buses were given flashy new paint schemes. Buses were painted with color at the front and rear, slanted to line up with the windows, and a large white portion in between.[10]

In the 1980s, the classic 1960s white and red strip look was updated with a larger red strip accompanied by a black strip painted around the window area, while a white background covered most of the bus exterior.[13] This color scheme was in existence for roughly 20 years on the Flxible and NovaBus 'classics' series, although these buses were later repainted and refurbished into the uniform color livery up until their retirements.

In 1998 Port Authority rebranded itself as "Ride Gold" to coincide with its 35th anniversary.[16]

In the early 2000s, Port Authority's buses included various transportation-related words and phrases repeated across the exterior, such as the words "move", "go" "ride" or "connect", combinations of "rockin'" and "rollin'", "ziggin'" and "zaggin'", or "here" and "there".[32]

On September 21, 2006, Port Authority announced that it was retiring the "Ride Gold" campaign and that the bus and light rail fleet will follow the standard design and uniform colors of its Gillig bus fleet.[16] The reason was the system's decision to return to a back-to-basics approach and to save costs on wholesale repainting and refurbishing. Their website began to use simple "PORT AUTHORITY" fonts, and some buses and light rail vehicles have been repainted with the standard "Port Authority" font.

On April 29, 2016, following several months of public hearings, the Port Authority's board of directors voted unanimously to implement sweeping changes to the fare system in 2017, including a decrease in fares for some riders for the first time in over 35 years.[33][34] The new fare system eliminated the current zone-based fare collection in favor of a flat $2.50 single-ride fare for all riders who pay via ConnectCard. Riders between Zones 1 and 2 used to pay a single-ride fare of $3.75, one of the highest intra-urban fares in the country. Although doing so will result in approximately $4 million in lost revenue for the agency, it hopes to recoup at least some of the losses by implementing a 25-cent surcharge for riders paying with cash, eliminating paper transfer tickets for cash fares and establishing a $2 surcharge for new or replacement ConnectCard purchases. These changes are also intended to discourage paying fares with cash in favor of increased ConnectCard use, which the agency also says will speed up trip times.[35] Seniors at least 65 & kids below 6 (3-kid limit applies) with fare-paying rider ride for free; disabled & Medicare users pay either $1.35 in cash or $1.25 with ConnectCard; $0.50 extra for transfers.

The agency also voted to abolish the "pay enter/pay leave" fare collection policy in favor of all riders simply paying their fare upon entering the bus regardless of destination, similar to the method used on most other American transit agencies. This change will mean the elimination of the free fare zone in downtown Pittsburgh, although free rides on the "T" between Downtown and the North Shore will continue. For light-rail rides outside these stops, cash fares will no longer be accepted, and the agency will eventually implement a proof of payment system, with riders required to scan their ConnectCards at kiosks on station platforms prior to boarding and Port Authority police officers performing random inspections on board to ensure payment.[34]

The logo for Pittsburgh's subway and light rail system.

The Port Authority operates a 26-mile (42 km) light rail system called "The T", from downtown subway to neighborhoods and suburbs south of the city on a surface light rail right-of-way.

The system comprises three lines:

• Red Line
• Silver Line
• Blue Line

Pittsburgh's mass transit system also includes two unique funiculars (called "inclines" locally) from the top of Mt. Washington to its base along the Monongahela River, just across from Downtown Pittsburgh.

Both the Duquesne Incline and the Monongahela Incline have stations along Grandview Avenue atop Mt Washington and in the Station Square area at the base.

The Duquesne Incline is owned by Port Authority, and The Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Heights Incline operates it as a non-profit organization. It has the original cars and the original stations.

The Port Authority operates 700 buses, as of April 2014, in Allegheny County, and also service extends slightly into neighboring Beaver, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties. Some bus routes operate seven days a week between 4:00 am and 2:00 am, but many routes have more restricted hours, or do not operate on weekends, or on Sundays and holidays.

In May 2001 the fleet installed its first bike racks, with 75 buses installing 2 bike racks on 8 routes on May 17, 2001.[45] In September 2011, the last remaining buses received bike racks.[46]

Bus rapid transit

Herron station on the East Busway

Main articles: South Busway, East Busway, and West Busway

In December 1977 Port Authority unveiled its first dedicated busway, the 4.3-mile South Busway, which combined bus and light rail routes into an efficient and quicker connection between downtown Pittsburgh and the South Hills area. The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway, which used express routes to connect downtown with nearby east side communities like Swissvale, Wilkinsburg and Homewood followed in February 1983. On Sunday, September 10, 2000 Port Authority opened its West Busway, which provides service from downtown Pittsburgh to Carnegie. In 2003, the East Busway was expanded by a few miles to Swissvale and Rankin.

On July 22, 2011, the Port Authority approved spending at least $1 million, including $837,993 in federal funding and $209,498 in county money, to study developing a rapid bus line from Downtown to the Oakland section.

Bus rapid transit or BRT provides bus service that is intended to resemble light rail, with higher frequency of service, fewer stops and, in several cities, pre-ticketing options or buses that look like trains or trolleys. The mode has had mixed success depending on jurisdiction, with some transportation planners citing a service-dilution pattern that they call Bus rapid transit creep.

The study should take up to 18 months to be completed and will use no money from the Port Authority's operating budget.[47]

Port Authority operates more than 60 park-and-ride lots in Allegheny County. It owns 66 transit bridges, 11 highway bridges and four tunnels.[48]

Under the Port Authority-sponsored ACCESS program, a private contractor provides door-to-door service to elderly and disabled passengers throughout the county, seven days a week from 6 a.m. to midnight. Reservations are placed one day in advance. The ACCESS program is noted as one of the first, most innovative and best in the nation.[49]

Between 2001 and 2004 the Port Authority worked with the local community group Ground Zero to create and operate the "Ultra Violet Loop"; known to some as the "party bus", the UV Loop bus was special service operated on Friday and Saturday nights through the early morning, serving city nightlife and university centers.[50] The UV Loop bus was part of special evaluative service supported in part by local foundations & businesses. While it was well regarded in the abstract, it never achieved the ridership and consistent service needed to continue without external support. The "Ultra Violet Loop" name is a play on the Pittsburgh/Allegheny County Belt System.[51]

Since 2007, the Port Authority cut annual expenses by $52 million and raised revenues by $14 million to help alleviate a $472 million gap in the state transportation budget.[25][26] In late 2010, the Port Authority's board approved service cuts of 35% (45 routes) and fare increases.[25][27][28] The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission approved a plan by Governor Ed Rendell to allocate $45 million for the Authority to help reduce service cuts to only 15% on March 27, 2011.[55][56] Since Governor Tom Corbett's 2012 budget, the Port Authority has renewed plans to cut service by 35% if the state fails to help with a projected $64 million budget deficit.[57][58]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Port Authority of Allegheny County.

• Port Authority Police Department
• List of rapid transit systems
• Paul Skoutelas
• Dennis Veraldi
• SEPTA

• Port Authority's official website
• Another collection of Port Authority bus photos
• April 2005 story on the new hybrid buses Pittsburgh has started to use
• Buskarma a.k.a. bus.maya.com, a bus system trip planner, run by volunteers
• Google Transit page for Port Authority
• Online trip planner tailored to mobile devices specifically for Port Authority
• Get There PGH, a Port Authority-supported initiative for expanding Bus Rapid Transit in Pittsburgh