Photo by Port Authority of Allegheny County
Pittsburgh East Busway bus and station
MPC is highlighting true BRT practices in the United States with a series of case studies based on ITDP’s report, Recapturing Global Leadership in Bus Rapid Transit. On Aug. 17, 2011, MPC will release its own report Bus Rapid Transit: Chicago’s New Route to Opportunity. Register for the event today. If you're not in Chicago, you can learn more about the report by registering for a webinar on Aug. 18 from 10 to 10:30 a.m. CDT.
MPC Research Assistant James Szczybor contributed to this post.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Name: Martin Luther King, Jr. East Busway
Managing Entity: The Port Authority of Allegheny County
Opening Year: 1983 (extended in 2003)
System Length: 9.1 miles (East Busway only)
Key characteristics:
Dedicated busway, direct service operations, frequent service
Average bus speeds along corridor before:
N/A: This project was built on a former rail right-of-way and did not replace any routes
Average bus speeds along corridor after:
35 mph
Speed increase:
N/A since this project did not replace any routes
Ridership increases:
N/A since this project did not replace any routes but current daily ridership is 25,600
Project Cost: $183 million
Cost per mile: $20 million per mile
Weekday Ridership: approximately 24,000
A champion of BRT since the 1970s, the city of Pittsburgh extended its BRT system to facilitate travel into downtown. Sixteen routes utilize the East Busway system, dramatically cutting down travel time. During peak periods, buses arrive nearly every two minutes.