Westmoreland transit authority may jump on Uber-style rides

Westmoreland County Transit Authority officials will consider drastic changes to their struggling bus service system, including a proposal to convert some of its rural routes to an Uber-like ride share program.

Board members this week reviewed a series of options to revamp bus and paratransit service as part of a comprehensive study of authority operations completed late last year.

The Southwest Pennsylvania Commission in November launched a $90,000 evaluation of the transit authority's fixed-route system and paratransit service .

Consultants said more than 2,000 responses were received from an online survey and through participation at an open house in the fall.

Recommendations included adding bus service to the Monessen and West Newton areas, reducing times between bus runs, eliminating or reducing service to Johnstown and launching a new shared-ride program to link rural riders to local and commuter bus service.

“It's becoming a popular trend,” said Andrew Baston of the proposed ride-sharing program. Baston, a transportation planner with Michael Baker International, the consulting firm that conducted the study for the SPC and authority, said transit agencies in Minneapolis and Florida have initiated commuter ride sharing in rural pockets of service areas. Transit officials in York County are piloting a similar program, he said.

The program would allow the authority to reduce or discontinue underused bus routes that circulate in more rural areas. Smaller vans would be used to provide on-demand passenger rides to link travelers to more popular bus routes.

“It's a better way for people to connect,” Baston said.

Authority officials said they were intrigued by the ride-sharing proposal but indicated that program, along with the other recommendations, could take several years to implement.

“It's an interesting possibility, but it has to be financially viable,” authority board Chairman Frank Tosto said.

Planning and more evaluation is needed before any changes would be implemented, officials said.

“These changes will not be overnight,” authority Executive Director Alan Blahovec said.

The authority for the past year has struggled with declining ridership. Passengers numbers have dipped by about 10 percent over the past 12 months, and officials commissioned the study to determine what changes can be made to improve operations.

The authority operates 25 daily and Saturday routes with a fleet of 41 buses. More than half of the fleet is expected to be replaced over the next few months.

The study revealed that while the commuter routes to Pittsburgh are the authority's most popular service, local service through Greensburg, Jeannette, Irwin and to Westmoreland County Community College has a steady stream of passengers.

Planners said routes between Avonmore and New Kensington, downtown New Kensington to the Penn State New Kensington campus, and Ligonier to Greensburg are among the least utilized.

“This was about taking a look at everything. We have not made any changes to our service in about 20 years,” Blahovec said.

Timing of the service review came in conjunction with the county's effort to draft a new comprehensive plan for growth. That plan is still being crafted, but early results revealed that residents wanted better public transportation options.

Rich Cholodofsky is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-830-6293 or rcholodofsky@tribweb.com.