Port Authority will be cutting service on a lot of routes and even eliminating some of them, starting this Sunday. From the PAT site —

To address a loss in state funding, Port Authority is reducing service by 15 percent effective March 27, 2011. Twenty-nine routes will be eliminated and weekday service will be significantly reduced on 37 additional routes. Along with the reduction in service, the Authority will close its Harmar bus division and eliminate about 270 agency jobs, including 180 through layoffs.

For those of you in Polish Hill that use the 54, the news is not quite so gloomy. Due to feedback provided by transit patrons, PAT has actually increased service to Polish Hill. The decision to alternate stops in Polish Hill and Penn and Main was made some time ago, and remains in place for this transit cut. In comparing the current schedule to the schedule that will be in effect starting Sunday, Staffski notes that the Polish Hill route is consistently every other trip, where previously the 54 had been scheduled to stop in Polish Hill every 3rd during non-peak hours. Throughout the week, the bus will run earlier and later. The frequency is slightly better than it was previously, with the biggest difference in the extended trips at the beginning and end of the day. Saturday and Sunday service begins later, but runs later on both days. The frequency is about the same as the current schedule for both days. Please feel free to look into the details. The new schedule is posted on the PAT site and, of course, we have hand copies for the 54 (as well as some other nearby routes) at the PHCA office.

However, if you are transferring to another line, you will need to check the schedules to see how the service cuts will impact your trip. A full listing of discontinued lines and revised schedules is available on the PAT site.

In other PAT news, it seems that the farebox glitch has been addressed. When the new fareboxes were first installed, their sensors were set at such a delicate level that they would only accept the most pristine currency without jamming. I’m sure this frustrated PAT more than it did their patrons, since fares were waived when the fareboxes malfunctioned. The sensors have been fixed and PAT is moving ahead with installing the new fareboxes on all routes, with the eventual introduction of the smart card. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that the new smart cards will be available in the beginning of July 2011.