PA: PRT to provide free bus rides for NFL Draft

In the latest effort to convince visitors to next week’s NFL Draft to take public transportation to the event, bus rides on the special Football Flyer bus routes will be free.

The Pittsburgh Organizing Committee for the event and the Pittsburgh Foundation have agreed to reimburse Pittsburgh Regional Transit for bus rides. The deal sets the maximum amount the groups would cover for free rides at $175,000. The minimum amount is $150,000.

The agency previously approved an agreement where VisitPittsburgh gave the agency $350,000 to create the special service.

Sheetz convenience store previously announced that it would cover the cost of free rides on the light rail system from the South Hills and the Monongahela Incline up to $200,000 during the three days of the draft, April 23-25. The company also will have mascots and other representatives on many of the trips to distribute promotional merchandise.

Local organizers have been making a big push for the expected 500,000 to 700,000 people expected to attend the draft activities to use public transit. That’s because there will be limited parking on the North Shore and in the Downtown area where draft activities will be held, and what is available will be at a premium price.

PRT will offer service every 15 minutes on the light rail system and on four special bus routes established for the event. Buses marked 99N, S, E and W will operate on the HOV lanes from the North Hills and the South, North and East busways to provide direct routes to Downtown and the North Shore.

Originally, the rides would have cost the regular fare of $2.75 or $25 for a three-day pass.

PRT spokesman Adam Brandolph said event organizers are doing everything they can to convince draft patrons not to drive to the North Shore or Downtown during the draft. Service from regional express buses and the light rail system should be much easier than navigating through heavy crowds in areas where there will be many closed streets, he said.

“We’re very excited for our riders,” he said. “It should be a pretty seamless experience. They are going to get as close as they can to Point State Park and the theater area on the North Shore on public transit.”

The bus routes will come into the city on different paths, but all of them will stop at General Robinson and Federal streets on the North Shore and on Stanwix Street near Point State Park, Downtown. The main stage will be outside Acrisure Stadium on Art Rooney Avenue and the NFL Experience will be in Point State Park.

Here are the bus routes:

• 99N, starting at the McCandless park-and-ride at 9700 McKnight Road and a stop at the Ross park-and-ride before using HOV lanes on Interstate 279.
• 99E, starting at Monroeville Mall and stopping at every station on the Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway.
• 99S, starting at the Large park-and-ride at 219 Peters Creek Road and stopping at every station on the South Busway.
• 99W, starting at the University Boulevard park-and-ride and stopping at every stop on the West Busway plus the lower stations of the Duquesne and Monongahela inclines on West Carson Street.

In addition to stops on the North Shore and Stanwix Street, the buses also will have common stops at Liberty Avenue and Market Place and PRTX Station on Wood Street.

The light rail system has stops at Gateway Center near Point State Park and on General Robinson Street near Mazeroski Way.

Organizers have set up specific walking paths for pedestrians only on the Roberto Clemente Bridge, Sixth Street to Penn Avenue, and Penn Avenue Point State Park to Ninth Street, where the new Arts Landing venue will have entertainment. Forbes Avenue also will be closed from Stanwix to new remodeled Market Square.

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