With Pittsburgh Regional Transit holding its final hearing Thursday on proposed bus route changes, Pittsburghers for Public Transit wants to make sure riders are aware of the changes.

So the advocacy group held a news conference Thursday morning and then sent about a dozen representatives to Downtown bus stops to inform riders and encourage them to attend the hearing at the Heinz 57 Center on Sixth Avenue, Downtown, which runs from 9 a.m. to noon and 3 to 6 p.m.

PRT is considering a plan that would eliminate 20 routes; add 14 routes; make major changes to 56 and minor changes to six routes; and make no changes to 13 routes. The overall number of routes would drop from 95 to 89.

The plan also would create direct links between local communities to eliminate transfers through Downtown, add routes from North and South Hills communities directly to Oakland and expand service to Pittsburgh International Airport.

Because this is the fourth plan the agency has proposed in the past two years, Laura Wiens, executive director of Pittsburghers for Public Transit, said she is concerned that riders aren’t aware how different this plan is. Previous plans either sharply reduced service because of a financial crisis that has been averted for now or extended service to new areas, but this one is designed to beef up service on the most popular routes.

“There’s nuance here,” Wiens said. “That’s why we have riders out here talking to other riders to make sure they know what could be coming.”

In the Hill District, for example, Leeretta Payne of Hill District Consensus Group said changes in Routes 81 and 83 eliminate service to the local business district. That could mean riders would have to transfer and spend more than $8 to buy groceries in Lawrencevilleinstead of $5.50 to shop in the Hill District.

Wiens said the changes also would eliminate service to the North Campus of Community College of Allegheny County.

The PRT plan is designed to make changes without increasing costs, which Wiens said is unrealistic because it means some communities would gain service and others would lose it. The group wants PRT to include an option with a 20% increase in service, which it believes would be an easier sell to state legislators considering an increase in state subsidy for public transit.

“The nature of a cost neutral plan is culturally bad,” she said. “There is no way you can avoid harming some riders when you help others.”

PRT said about a dozen people had registered to speak at Thursday’s hearing. Walk-ins also can testify.

The public also can submit comments online through Sept. 30 at www.buslinerefresh.com; by email at [email protected]; by phone to a recorded line at 412- 566-5525; or regular mail at Pittsburgh Regional Transit, Attn: Planning and Service Development, Heinz 57 Center, 345 Sixth Ave. Third Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

The PRT board is expected to vote on the final changes at its October meeting. Changes won’t be made until next year, and it hasn’t been determined whether they will be made all at once or in phases.

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