The Port Authority of Allegheny County, doing business as Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT), is the public transit agency serving Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, including the city of Pittsburgh, with limited service to adjacent counties in the Greater Pittsburgh region.
PRT is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and, as of 2022, was the 20th-largest in the United States. It operates a system of bus, light rail, and incline services. The agency was established in 1956 and began transit operations in 1964. In 1977, it opened the South Busway, one of the earliest bus rapid transit corridors in the United States; the network has since expanded to include the East and West busways, which remain a core part of the system. The agency also operates the Wabash Tunnel, 54 park-and-ride facilities, and more than 80 bridges. In 2025, the system recorded 38,452,000 passenger trips.
The agency adopted the Pittsburgh Regional Transit name for public use in 2022 while retaining its legal name. It is constituted as a port authority under Pennsylvania law and is funded by federal, state, and local sources. Governance is provided by a board of directors appointed by Allegheny County, the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and the Governor of Pennsylvania. The agency is led by a chief executive officer, and its headquarters are located in the Heinz 57 Center in Downtown Pittsburgh.
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History
Pittsburgh Regional Transit was established as the Port Authority of Allegheny County by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1956. The agency was initially intended to oversee port facilities in the Pittsburgh area and used the abbreviation "PAT". In 1959, the enabling legislation was amended to permit the acquisition of privately owned transit operators, including the Pittsburgh Railways Company and 32 independent bus and incline operations. The consolidation brought together systems with separate fare structures, labor agreements, and, in some cases, overlapping routes, at a time when ridership had declined.
On April 19, 1963, the Board of Allegheny County Commissioners authorized the acquisition of these transit companies for approximately $12 million. Port Authority Transit began service on March 1, 1964.
Following the start of service, new buses were introduced to replace vehicles inherited from predecessor companies, and a unified route numbering system and fare structure were implemented. The agency undertook a broader program to consolidate and modernize operations. Most streetcar routes were converted to bus service, reflecting lower operating and maintenance costs. By the early 1970s, only a limited number of streetcar lines remained, primarily those using the Mount Washington Transit Tunnel to reach the South Hills on private rights-of-way.
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Port Authority developed plans for new fixed-guideway transit, including busways and a proposed automated system known as Skybus. The proposal was not implemented following public opposition.
In the early 1970s, the agency expanded bus service and introduced new routes, including service to Oakland. In 1975, it assumed operation of a Baltimore and Ohio Railroad commuter rail line to Versailles, branded as PATrain. Ridership increased during this period, influenced in part by the 1973 oil crisis. Fare increases and a brief strike occurred in 1976. The South Busway opened in 1977.
Planning shifted in the late 1970s toward reconstruction of the remaining streetcar lines as a modern light rail system. Construction began in 1980 on a project that included a downtown subway, upgrades to the Beechview line, and a branch to South Hills Village. The first segment of the modern light rail system opened in 1984, followed by the downtown subway in 1985, replacing street-running service through downtown. The initial phase of the light rail system was completed in 1987.
Fare structure
Pittsburgh Regional Transit uses a flat-fare system, with payment accepted via smart card or cash. Transfers are time-based and valid across modes.
In 2017, the agency replaced its zone-based fare structure with a simplified flat fare, eliminating distance-based pricing and standardizing payment upon boarding. The change also ended the "pay-on-entry/pay-on-exit" system and discontinued the downtown free-fare zone on buses. The "pay-on-entry/pay-on-exit" system and the Downtown/North Shore free-fare zone remain in use on the light rail system.
PRT introduced its smart card fare collection system, known as ConnectCard, in the early 2010s, reducing reliance on paper tickets and cash payments. Discounted fares are available for seniors, people with disabilities, and youth, and passes are offered for frequent riders.
Light rail
Pittsburgh Regional Transit operates a 26-mile (42 km) light rail system called the "T" from downtown subway stations to neighborhoods and suburbs south of the city on surface tracks with right-of-way. In 2025, the light rail lines carried a combined 3,104,400 passengers.
The system comprises three lines, all of which have a northern terminus at Allegheny station on Pittsburgh's North Shore near Acrisure Stadium and the Carnegie Science Center:
The Red Line runs through Beechview, Dormont, Mt. Lebanon, Castle Shannon, and Bethel Park before terminating at South Hills Village.
The Blue Line runs through Knoxville, Overbrook, Castle Shannon, and Bethel Park before terminating at South Hills Village.
The Silver Line runs through Knoxville, Overbrook, Castle Shannon, Bethel Park and South Park before terminating at Library.
Funiculars
Pittsburgh's mass transit system includes two funiculars, locally known as "inclines": the Duquesne Incline and the Monongahela Incline. Both operate between the top of Mount Washington and its base along the Monongahela River, opposite Downtown Pittsburgh. In 2025, the two inclines carried a combined 855,200 passengers.
Both inclines are owned by Pittsburgh Regional Transit. The Monongahela Incline is operated directly by the agency, while the Duquesne Incline is operated by the Society for the Preservation of the Duquesne Heights Incline, a nonprofit organization.
Buses
Bus rapid transit
Pittsburgh Regional Transit operates a network of busways that provide dedicated right-of-way for bus service, linking Downtown Pittsburgh with surrounding neighborhoods and suburbs.
The system comprises three busways:
The South Busway is a 4.3-mile (6.9 km) corridor connecting downtown with the South Hills.
The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway is a 9.1-mile (14.6 km) corridor linking downtown with Swissvale, Wilkinsburg, Homewood and Rankin.
The West Busway is a 5-mile (8.0 km) corridor providing service between downtown and Carnegie.
In addition, the reversible high-occupancy vehicle lanes on Interstate 279 provide a 5.3-mile (8.5 km) corridor used by express bus services connecting downtown with Ross and McCandless, functioning in practice as a north busway.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit is also building PRTX, a network of bus only lanes on city streets. The initial corridor, known as the University Line, will connect downtown with Oakland. The line will use a combination of dedicated lanes and priority treatments along Fifth and Forbes avenues in Uptown and Oakland and Fifth and Sixth avenues in downtown. The corridor includes 23 stations with glass shelters and upgraded amenities like next-bus arrival screens and fare vending machines. Five routes will operate along the full corridor: P3, 61A, 61B, 61C, and 71B. Several other routes will use stations and facilities over parts of the corridor. Construction began in 2023 and is scheduled to continue through 2027.
Other services
Pittsburgh Regional Transit owns and operates more than 54 park-and-ride facilities with over 14,000 parking spaces, as well as more than 80 bridges, including those on its busways and highway network. The agency also owns and operates the Wabash Tunnel, a vehicular tunnel.
PRT provides paratransit service through its ACCESS program, which offers shared-ride, door-to-door transportation for elderly and disabled passengers throughout Allegheny County. The service operates daily with advance reservations required.
Future
Potential capital expansions
Several capital expansions have been proposed from various sources. The construction of a light rail line from Oakland to Pittsburgh International Airport has been proposed by County Executive Dan Onorato and former Congressman Mike Doyle, projected to cost about $3.5 billion. Doyle submitted a request to the Federal government to study the feasibility of the project.