The NEXTransit Downtown Study was completed in the summer of 2023.

Materials on this page are provided for reference purposes only. Please visit the PRT NEXTransit Downtown Project Page link below for updated information regarding implementation of route changes.

Visit the NEXTransit Downtown PRT Project Page

What is NEXTransit Downtown?

NEXTransit Downtown is a plan to update to the bus routings in Downtown Pittsburgh in order to complement upcoming projects and improve efficiency and amenities for riders.

PRTX - The University Line project will be affecting over half of PRT’s bus routes in Downtown. As a result, this is a key opportunity to take a fresh look at how buses move through the heart of our system and region.

Process Phases:

Thank you to everyone who participated in the NEXTransit Downtown Study! More information about the public engagement process that was conducted for the study can be viewed below.

  • During our preliminary research & review our transit planners identified some key issues in the downtown area that need to be addressed by the plan.

    • Low Parking and driving costs lead to a high number of personal vehicles in Downtown

    • Unsafe activity including vehicles driving around buses at stops

    • Highways act as barriers

    • Bus route grouping on Liberty Ave. is an asset

    • Better parade detour is needed

    • Better wayfinding needed so people can better access stops and navigate the system

    Learn more on our Storymap

  • The goals of the first round of public engagement were to educate the public about the project and the impacts of the BRT project on Downtown bus patterns and collect feedback from transit riders about current experiences taking transit in Downtown. The project team talked to over 400 people in the summer of 2022.

    We held two online meetings on Tuesday, August 23 at 5pm and Thursday, August 25 at 12pm.

    Eight pop-up events were held at bus stops chosen with high volume of riders, number of bus routes served, and high volume of transfers throughout Downtown.

    The project website hosted a brief survey and mapping input exercise. Input was collected starting August 23 through September 23.

    Read the full Phase 1 Engagement Summary

  • The goals of Phase 2 were to gather feedback on proposed best-case rerouting scenarios and identify the communities transit priorities. The project team collected input on the scenarios from more than 400 people.

    Phase 2 engagement methods included hosting a pop-up in Downtown, located at Smithfield Street and Sixth Avenue, adjacent to the PRT Service Center. From Monday, February 27 to Saturday, March 4, 2023

    We also hosted two online meetings on Tuesday, February 28 and on Wednesday, March 1, 2023 and collected responses via a short online survey hosted on the project website .

    Read the full Phase 2 Engagement Summary

  • The goal of the third and final round of engagement was to present the final recommended Downtown bus network and proposed bus stop changes . The final scenario presented to the public was created using both input from the public during the first and second rounds of engagement as well as professional expertise and data analyses. The project team collected comments on the final plan from approximately 70 people.

    During Phase 3 we hosted two online meetings on Wednesday, June 28 and Thursday, June 29, 2023.

    We also hosted an online survey on the project website and collected comment cards at the Downtown Service Center.

    Read the full Phase 3 Engagement Summary