THE GREAT PRT SERVICE CUT

By The Pittsburgh Public Press • Published: January 2026

41 Routes. A Shorter Red Line. An 11 PM Curfew. Who survives the 2026 Transit Cliff?

Pittsburgh is currently holding its breath. For months, Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) has warned of a 35% system-wide service cut—a "doomsday scenario" triggered by a $100 million budget deficit.

While a last-minute maneuver in late 2025 allowed PRT to use capital funds (money meant for fixing tracks and buying buses) to keep the lights on for now, the underlying crisis hasn't moved. The 41 routes marked for elimination aren't gone yet, but they are on life support. If the state legislature doesn't find a permanent funding solution, the map of Pittsburgh is about to get much smaller.

The "Ghost" Municipalities

The most startling discovery in the PRT "Funding Crisis" proposal is the complete abandonment of entire communities. If these 41 routes are eliminated, 19 municipalities and three city neighborhoods—Banksville, Ridgemont, and Swisshelm Park—would lose bus access entirely.

• The Isolated: Communities like East McKeesport, Trafford, Ambridge, and Ben Avon would effectively become transit deserts.
• The "Flyer" Cull: Commuter "Flyer" routes (the P-series and Y-series) make up a huge chunk of the eliminations. For residents in the Mon Valley or Penn Hills, a 30-minute commute to Downtown could transform into a two-hour multi-transfer odyssey.

The Red Line: Shortened and Strained

It’s not just the buses. The iconic Red Line light rail is on the chopping block for a "Major Coverage Reduction."

• The Plan: Shorten the Red Line to operate only between Overbrook Junction and Allegheny Station.
• The Losers: Residents in the South Hills who rely on the Red Line's unique street-running sections through Beechview and Dormont. By cutting the line’s reach, PRT forces more riders onto the Blue and Silver lines, increasing congestion on the Overbrook line while leaving the "heart" of the South Hills light rail system with significantly less frequent service.

The 11:00 PM Curfew

Perhaps the most "silent" killer in the proposal is the 11:00 PM system-wide curfew. PRT is proposing to end all service—bus, rail, and incline—at 11:00 PM every single day. This isn't just an inconvenience for late-night bar-hoppers; it is a direct hit to the city's essential workforce.

"I work the second shift at Allegheny General. I don't get off until 11:30 PM," says Maria, a healthcare worker. "If the bus stops at 11:00, I’m spending two hours of my wages on an Uber just to get home. The city says they want 'essential workers,' but they're cutting the only way we can get to the job."

Equity by the Numbers

Our investigation into the PRT data shows that the "efficiency" of these cuts comes at a steep social cost.

WTAE Investigates PRT Service Cuts

The Verdict: A City in Retreat?

By using emergency reserves to stave off these cuts, PRT has bought the city time, but at the cost of its future. Using "Capital Funds" for "Operations" means the buses we keep running today won't be replaced when they break down tomorrow. Pittsburgh is at a crossroads: Do we fund transit as a public right, or do we watch as 41 lifelines are slowly erased from the map?

🗺️ Is Your Route on the List?

[Click here to view our Interactive "Red Zone" Map] and see if your home or workplace is within the proposed 2026 elimination area.

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