Port Authority's new name illustrates transit agency's regional push

By Ed Blazina, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Including the word "regional" in Port Authority's new name, Pittsburgh Regional Transit, was not an attempt to simply create a snappy acronym.

It was done to reflect the agency's growing importance in public transit across southwestern Pennsylvania. With its base in Allegheny County and with Pittsburgh as the economic engine of the region, PRT is in a position to take a leading role in improving the transit experience for riders in a multi-county area. The name change was announced at a news conference Thursday.

Playing off of a study last year by the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, regional leaders already are looking at establishing a single-fare system in which riders using transit systems from other counties could pay one fare on their cellphones, ride into the city and transfer to a PRT route to get to their final destinations.

There also will be a review of whether those longer trips from Butler, Beaver, Washington or Greensburg operated by local transit agencies should switch to PRT, leaving local agencies to concentrate on service in their areas.

"The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, working through the region's Transit Operators Committee, is currently pursuing a potential region-wide fare collection platform that could be made available to all the transit users throughout the region," Andy Waple, deputy executive director of programs, said in a statement.

"The goal would be to make it easier to pay for and take trips on multiple transit systems and other services such as Healthy Ride [bike share]. SPC is exploring potential different types of applications and fare collection products as well as facilitating interagency agreements for implementation."

The agency is going to conduct a study of the single fare collection. A plan could be ready by June 2023.

Mr. Waple said the idea of changing service providers for trips to Pittsburgh is "at the concept phase" currently.

CEO Katharine Eagan Kelleman said PRT's interest is providing the best and most convenient service to riders across the region. Her thought it is that it might be easier for riders to use the same service to take longer trips to Pittsburgh and then transfer to their final destination, freeing outlying counties to concentrate on local service.

"Maybe it makes more sense for us to provide those longer trips since riders will be taking our system to their final destination," Ms. Kelleman said. "How do we work together with the other agencies so we can each do what we do best?

"A passenger doesn't care whose name is on the side of the bus. A passenger just wants to know they are going to get there."

Transit agencies in other counties said they either haven't had formal talks about a single fare collection system or changing service providers or were hearing about the proposals for the first time.

Mary Jo Morandini, general manager of the Beaver County Transit Authority, said her agency is interested in the single fare collection system.

"If there's a study, we would have to have a level of involvement in it," she said. "I would like to see a single fare from our Ambridge park-and-ride to Downtown."

Ms. Morandini said she would have to be convinced that switching providers for trips from Beaver to Pittsburgh would benefit riders.

""We're more than capable of operating those trips," she said.

John Paul, executive director of Butler Transit Authority, said riders who use his agency have been able to use PRT's ConnectCard system for about 10 years, so a single collection system wouldn't be much change for his riders. The agency hasn't been approached about switching to PRT the four weekday trips from Butler, but Mr. Paul questioned whether that would be a good idea since his agency has lower operating costs.

"It won't be very cost effective, and I think that's most important to the taxpayers," he said. "If it's better for the riders, we'll do it."

In Westmoreland County, there hasn't been any discussion about either topic, said Alan Blahovec, executive director of Westmoreland County Transit.

"[The PRT news conferenceThursday] was the first I had heard about any of this," he said. "We are always happy to talk and discuss anything that would improve service for riders in Westmoreland County."

Officials at Freedom Transit, which operates service for Washington County residents, couldn't be reached for comment.

Ed Blazina: [email protected], 412-263-1470 or on Twitter @EdBlazina.

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