Staff Editorial

In July of this year, Pittsburgh Regional Transit faced a $100 million budget deficit causing them to reduce their services by 40% according to the PRT website.

They have nothing left to reduce but their services to the city. And in addition to their lack of funding from the federal level, they are proposing an increased rate for all the services, including a $0.25 increase on their three-hour full fare pass, and a $0.50 increase on their day passes, a percent increase of a significant 9%.

Duquesne University currently offers a student discount for PRT services through UPass, offering a reduced price on the normal $2.75 fare for a spliced $1.98.

Their contract with Duquesne is set to expire in 2026, and though the Student Government Association touched on PRT’s deal with the school in the spring semester, the jury is still out on what will become of the UPass program at Duquesne.

“We get a discount already, and I don’t know how realistic that discount is going to be in a year and a half, and we need to be prepared for that,” said Nick Miller, SGA President, at the March 26 meeting.

Duquesne students don’t get bus passes for free like every other college in Pittsburgh. But it also doesn’t add to the cost of tuition, like every other college in Pittsburgh.

Students can still use the discount for the time being, but that time is fleeting and we need to take advantage of the resources we are given now, before we lose them completely.

Now, more than ever, not only is it prime time to use the UPass system set up by Duquesne, but it is prime time to use the PRT system.

According to PRT data sets, their ridership decreased 1% from 2023 to 2024, and though PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman said at a May 2024 PRT Board Meeting that it was a data anomaly, the numbers don’t lie.

But why not use the bus more? It’s cheaper than an Uber, or filling up your tank with gas and it’s better for the environment.

Not only does it benefit your wallet, and your oxygen, but it also gives money back to PRT, so they can continue to keep the lines that can get you home for the weekend, or just to a new trendy coffee shop out of walking distance.

According to the American Public Transit Association, every dollar that goes into public transportation can yield roughly $4 for the economy of the community.

Taking the bus has been proven to be safer than an individual vehicle and it also creates a sense of community, according to the American Public Transit Association.

Forty-five percent of Americans have no access to public transportation, but 100% of Duquesne students do.

Stop waiting for your Ubers and hop on the bus instead.

PRT said it expects construction of the University Line to wrap up the project by 2027, so until then, all of Pittsburgh’s horn happy drivers are going to need to take some extra deep breaths.