Bus Line Refresh is Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s update to its bus network. It improves reliability, frequency, seven-day service, and connections based on how people travel today.

Travel patterns have changed significantly since the pandemic, and some routes are overcrowded while others are underused. BLR makes targeted updates—not a system overhaul—to better match service with demand and improve the experience for the vast majority of riders.

We are now entering the fourth and final phase of the planning process, and the Bus Line Refresh reflects the more than 16,000 public comments received on our initial draft. Our goal is to implement these changes within the next 18 months.

The second draft of BLR incorporates rider, operator, and stakeholder feedback to create a more familiar, reliable, and efficient network. It expands service on high-demand routes, adds direct connections to key destinations, and optimizes resources for frequency, coverage, and on-time performance. Small adjustments improve equity and operator experience, ensuring the network works today while supporting future growth within current funding and staffing levels.

No. Bus Line Refresh is an update, not a full redesign. The first draft proposed more sweeping changes, and riders told PRT it was “too much, too fast.” The BLR proposal keeps most familiar routes in place, restores important connections, and focuses improvements where they are needed most. The goal is a network that feels familiar but works better.

You can use the Find My Route tool to see how your current service maps to the BLR network.

This tool shows:

• Your current route
• The proposed BLR version
• Changes to frequency, routing, and connections

You can also explore the interactive BLR System Map to see all updated routes and connections.

For most riders, yes.

Downtown: 91% of riders living near BLR stops will still have a one-seat ride. Service will be more frequent during midday, evenings, and weekends.

Oakland: BLR adds several new one-seat rides to Oakland from communities that currently lack them, including McCandless, Ross, Dormont, Brentwood, Millvale, Mt. Lebanon, Carrick, and all stations on the West Busway.

PRT is reducing service hours on routes with very low ridership, allowing for nearly 9% of service hours to be reinvested to improve frequency, reliability, and evening and weekend service on higher-demand routes. Over 99% of riders will continue to have access to a fixed-route stop within a quarter mile of home.

Ridership has returned most strongly outside traditional commute times, so BLR shifts service toward when people are traveling.

Improvements include:

• 20% more Saturday service
• 18% more Sunday service
• 43 routes running every 30 minutes or better (up from 27 today)
• All routes operating at least hourly

These changes make the system more useful for workers, students, families, and weekend travel.

Equity is central to BLR. Using PRT’s Equity Index of Mobility Need, service is prioritized in neighborhoods with higher transit dependence and fewer transportation options.

BLR results in:

• 195,000 residents in equity communities gaining 30-minute service (a 28% increase)
• 380,000 jobs accessible at 30-minute frequency
• 99.2% of current riders retaining walking-distance access

PRT also conducts equity analysis to ensure no group faces disproportionate impacts.

Riders will see:

• More reliable trips
  
• Less waiting and more predictable service
• More useful evening and weekend schedules
• New direct connections between major job centers, shopping districts, colleges, and healthcare sites
• Clearer route names and numbering

BLR creates 39 new one-seat rides across the region and strengthens connections without requiring long trips through Downtown.

PRT is hosting more than 60 meetings, pop-ups, and virtual sessions across the county. You can provide input by:

• Explore our project website buslinerefresh.com
  
• Attending in-person or online public meetings
• Visiting pop-ups at key bus stops and community events
• Using the survey (online or paper)
• Exploring the interactive maps and sharing comments there
• Providing feedback through the Transit App, email, or phone

This is the final engagement phase before public hearings and approval.

Learn all of the ways you can participate on the Engagement Page.

he timeline is:

• Spring 2026: Updated draft network released for public review
• Summer 2026: Last round of revisions based on feedback from the second draft to refine the Final BLR Plan; public hearings
  
• Fall 2026: PRT Board considers final plan
• 2027: Implementation of approved changes begins

PRT will also release an implementation roadmap to help riders understand the timing and transition