This summary of engagement activities is provided as a PDF and as text to improve access. This page is both screen readable and translatable. If you have suggestions for how PRT can improve transparency and access, please use the comment box on the right to let us know.

Introduction

Public engagement is paramount to any planning process, but it is especially a vital component of a project that will be as impactful as Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s (PRT) system-wide bus network redesign.

The engagement process was designed around the concepts of transparency and ownership. Any service planning project will impact people and not everyone will benefit from every change, but the goal of the engagement process is to make it clear what the public is saying they want and how PRT is responding to this input with a new system.

The overall goal of the first round of engagement was to introduce the purpose and goals of the Bus Line Redesign, review the project scope and timeline, and collect input on travel needs and preferences. Early on, the project team created this website to provide information to the public regarding the Bus Line Redesign project.

The first phase of public engagement consisted of three different methods to collect input from the general public: an online survey (offered through the project website), online public meetings, and in-person pop up events.

Phase 1 Engagement Timeline

The first phase of project involved a number of engagement activities designed to capture input from a wide variety of stakeholders from across Allegheny County.

  • Timeline item 1 - complete

    Steering Committee - September 27, 2023

    The Steering Committee provides advice to PRT throughout the planning process, offering expertise and oversight on overall task work, technical deliverables, findings, and decision making throughout the project. The first meeting introduced the project and sought input on project goals and communications approach.

  • Timeline item 2 - complete

    Elected Officials - October 6, 2023

    The first elected officials briefing took place via Zoom. The briefing introduced the project, objectives, and engagement approach.

  • Timeline item 3 - complete

    Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG) - October 19, 2023

    The SAG consists of local and regional organizations with a focus on transit, mobility, and equity, serving as a review touch point before the public. The first meeting reviewed initial existing conditions data and helped to confirm project goals.

  • Timeline item 4 - complete

    Online Survey - October 19 - December 17, 2023

    An online survey was launched to gauge high-level impressions about existing transit service. 2,158 responses were received. The survey also asked a number of questions about trade-offs in the provision of service to get a sense for public priorities.

  • Timeline item 5 - complete

    Pop-Up Events - October 23 - November 30, 2023

    Knowing that online surveys can often skew results towards a younger, more affluent demographic, the project team hosted 23 pop-up events throughout Allegheny County. Locations were selected by comparing several factors, including PRT equity index score, population, availability of public locations, and success of past PRT engagement efforts. The pop-ups offered similar questions as the online survey and public meetings, with more than 500 comments collected.

  • Timeline item 6 - complete

    Public Meetings - November 14 & November 16, 2023

    Two online meetings were held with a combined attendance of 90 people, offering insight into travel patterns, service tradeoffs, and desires.

What Did We Learn?

Move through the slides below at your own pace or watch the video to get a brief overview of what we learned from the project's first phase of engagement.

Operator Feedback

In addition to engaging with riders and the general public, the project team also consulted current PRT operators (staff who operate PRTs buses, light rail vehicles, and incline) to gather their input regarding issues and opportunities. Many of their comments reflected what was heard from the public, with a few noted exceptions.

  • Ridership is Changing. Operators noted that rider habits are changing and there is an opportunity for PRT to address these changes through the BLR.
  • Destinations. Operators agree with the public that Oakland should be a major transit hub. In addition, operators would like to ensure that transfer locations are safe and comfortable.
  • Neighborhood Connections. Operators also agree that more crosstown routes are needed.
  • Busways and Rail. Operators also agree that there is an opportunity to connect the east-west busways and connect more bus routes to the busways and light rail.
  • Frequency. While operators noted frequency, they differed slightly from the public in that they would like to offer express routes from suburban park-and-rides and add more buses during school hours.
  • Regional Network. While not mentioned a lot by riders, operators noted that there is an opportunity to improve connections with regional transit agencies.
  • On-Time Performance. Finally, operators would like to see more realistic run times to improve on-time performance.

Areas for Improvement

As part of analyzing engagement outcomes from the first phase of the project, the project team also sought to assess which groups participated and which groups did not. A more thorough review of this analysis can be found in the full Public Engagement Summary for Phase 1, but two key groups are briefly described below. Engagement during the rest of the planning process will include increased efforts to reach these communities.

High Equity Index Communities

Phase 1 engagement demographics revealed a lack of participation from residents and riders living in neighborhoods in the City’s East End, the Mon Valley, and McKees Rocks. These communities score highly on PRT's Equity Index of Mobility Need and future engagement efforts will target these areas more intensely to ensure that network considerations carefully consider how best to meet these communities' needs.

Communities without Transit

There were a few areas without service that also had low participation. In the northern and western suburbs of Allegheny County, residential growth and commercial development continues but transit does not currently serve these areas. The project's Transit Market Study considers the growth potential of these areas for transit service, but engagement will need to match this potentially untapped population of riders.