What public, private, and charter schools could lose transit access?

Reductions to PRT service could have a lasting and deeply disruptive impact on access to K–12 education throughout Allegheny County. Every day, families across the region rely on safe, reliable public transit to ensure their children can get to school, especially in households without access to a car or in communities where school bus service is limited or unavailable. When service is cut, that lifeline disappears.

PRT’s analysis shows that if proposed service reductions take effect, a significant number of schools would no longer be served by reasonable transit access, which is defined as a stop within a quarter-mile or a five-minute walk. This threshold already represents a minimum standard for accessibility, and even it does not account for critical factors like sidewalk conditions, lighting, or traffic safety. For many students, particularly in low-income and historically underserved neighborhoods, the loss of reliable transit could mean longer, more dangerous, or entirely unwalkable commutes.

What K-12 students use transit the most today?

PRT was able to work with Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS) to understand which school students are using PPS-provided transit passes and what schools they attend. Understandably, magnet schools which draw students from throughout the City of Pittsburgh, have the highest number of transit riding students. Every day, students travel throughout PRT's entire transit system to get to school. Service reductions would have a significant impact on these students and their families. Transit provides a safe and predictable route to school that could be lost or lengthened without a state funding solution.

What schools have the most transit riders?

The maps below show the public and charter schools with the highest number of PPS-provided transit passes and where their students come from.

CAPA (6-12) SciTech (6-12), Obama (6-12) and Allderdice High School are the four Pittsburgh Public Schools with the highest number of students using PPS-provided transit passes. In the maps below, areas with darker colors are those with the most transit riding students.

City Charter High School, Urban Pathways (6-12), Environmental Charter (6-12), and Propel Schools are the four charter schools with the highest number of students using PPS-provided transit passes. In the maps below, areas with darker colors are those with the most transit riding students.