In Draft Network 1.0, Downtown Pittsburgh would still have excellent bus service that better matches transit demand, with some commuter flyer routes, and much more access throughout the day and on weekend.

What is Proposed for Downtown Pittsburgh?

Downtown Pittsburgh remains the largest hub in PRT’s transit network with most bus routes, all busways, and all light rail lines connecting to the Golden Triangle. As the geographic center of Allegheny County, Downtown is home to many of the region’s major employers, the Cultural District, schools, government offices and services, sports venues, and other services that are not found anywhere else. Downtown is also a rapidly growing residential area with office buildings being converted to residential units including new affordable housing. Some proposed route changes will connect riders from Downtown Pittsburgh to destinations in Allegheny County that are not accessible by transit today.

Overall, the Draft Network 1.0 proposes the following changes to Downtown transit service across the week:

• A potential 12% decrease in number of one-way bus trips going to and from Downtown, during the weekday morning rush hour (6 a.m. - 9 a.m.). There are about 298 trips per hour during this time of day in the existing network vs. 261 trips per hour proposed. The project's fall 2023 Existing Conditions Report showed that more transit service was being provided than was needed during this time.
• A potential 8% increase in number of one-way bus trips going to and from Downtown, during the weekday midday hours (9 a.m. - 3 p.m.). There are about 201 trips per hour during this time period currently; in the proposed network we have about 217 trips per hour.
• There is an overall increase in trips to Downtown on Saturdays and Sundays. This element of the proposal responds to more events and more housing in Downtown and also allows for better transfer opportunities across the network. Saturdays would have 11% more trips to Downtown and Sundays would have 8% more trips than the current network.

Proposal by Types of Service

Draft Network 1.0 proposes different types of transit service connect to Downtown Pittsburgh. These categories align with Bus Line Redesign's proposal to simplify route naming. The existing terms for types of service are included in parentheses.

Standard Routes

The Draft Network 1.0 would not change the overall number of one-seat rides to Downtown. The top 50 locations in Allegheny County with the most riders will continue to have one-seat rides to Downtown. Additionally, Draft Network 1.0 proposes many new connections, so more parts of the county will have a two-seat ride to Downtown than in the existing system. See the Community Connections page to learn more.

PRT is in the process of implementing the 2023 NEXTransit Downtown Plan to relocate bus stops for the upcoming PRTX University Line and to make overall bus circulation more efficient through Downtown.

Core Service (Rapid Service)

PRT’s fixed guideways (the busways, light rail lines, and inclines) were designed to connect parts of the county to Downtown Pittsburgh and will continue to operate service to Downtown. Bus Line Redesign calls these services its “Core Services” and proposes to better use them by routing more local bus routes to the stations where riders can connect to direct service to Downtown that doesn’t travel in traffic. This part of the proposal was a response to public input during the first phase of engagement in the fall and early winter of 2023.

Draft Network 1.0 proposes to increase the frequency of the existing P1 to run every five minutes at peak times in the morning and evening between Swissvale and Downtown. The P1 would be called the Purple Line. The Purple Line would also run until 2 a.m. every day of the week, every 15 minutes for much of the day on Saturdays, and every 20 minutes for much of the day on Sundays. Increasing frequency on the Purple Line is expected to increase the use of the East Busway to make connections to Downtown and other parts of the county.

Click here to learn more about the proposal for the Purple Line.

Limited Routes (Flyers)

PRT’s existing network includes “flyer” routes that were designed to move suburban workers between outer areas of the county and their jobs in Downtown. These routes were heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and ridership has not recovered. PRT is proposing to discontinue the flyer routes with the lowest ridership and replace them with local service.

Review the Routes

Browse the interactive map below to see all of the direct connections proposed for Downtown Pittsburgh. Below the map you can click on geographic areas to access the individual route pages to learn more and provide feedback.