Wilkinsburg is neighboring Pittsburgh, and the quickest way there is through the East Busway. However, there will be other routes as well – all of which will have a purpose. With that in mind, Wilkinsburg will be given the designation of 14. The routes are as follows:
- 14: East Hills
- 141E: Forbes Hospital
- 142E: Point Breeze Short
- 143E: Hamilton Short
- 144E: Forbes Avenue
- 145E: Monroeville
- 146E: Oakmont
- E14: Lincoln Park Flyer
- E141: Swissvale
- E142: Point Breeze
- E143: Hamilton
- E144: Centre
- E145: Liberty
- E146: Penn
14: East Hills
The 14: East Hills will replace the 79: East Hills, and extend to Lincoln Park as far as service goes. This will allow the rider to connect with the E144: Centre, or any of the busway routes. By connecting with Wilkinsburg, there will be a number of options made available to the rider.
141E: Forbes Hospital
The 141E: Forbes Hospital will replace the route that was once served by the P68: Braddock Hills Flyer, however as you might have guessed, the 141E: Forbes Hospital does not serve Downtown, but instead will connect to the Wilkinsburg station of the East Busway. From there, the rider can transfer to the E1: East Busway, and since there is the option of the 1E: East Busway – Oakland, there are more options available for the rider.
142E: Point Breeze Short / E142: Point Breeze
The 142E: Point Breeze Short will operate the same way that the 71C: Point Breeze Short will operate. This will include termination at Fifth and Craft. Since this route will be a carbon copy of the 71C: Point Breeze Short, there will be need to relearn a bus route.
The E142: Point Breeze will go further to enter Downtown via the Oakland Corridor. The frequency rotation will be 2 142E: Point Breeze Short, and 1 E142: Point Breeze. This will allow for some Downtown service without flooding the area with buses all of the time.
143E: Hamilton Short / E143: Hamilton
The 143E: Hamilton Short will operate much in the same way as the 71D: Hamilton Short will operate. As with the 142E: Point Breeze Short, there will no new route to memorize, as this route is a carbon copy with the same route number.
The E143: Hamilton will go further to enter Downtown via the Oakland Corridor. As with the sister routes, there will be 2 143E: Hamilton Short followed by 1 E143: Hamilton. This will provide for some Downtown service while not over doing things.
144E: Forbes Avenue
The 144E: Forbes Avenue will enable reducing the route for the Monroeville, and Trafford routes. The 144E: Forbes Avenue will take a more scenic route to connect communities with Oakland, and that would enable them to transfer if necessary. For those in Wilkinsburg, the best options are the 1E: East Busway – Oakland or the E1: East Busway. The 144E: Forbes Avenue will start at Wilkinsburg Station, and use Penn Avenue to S. Dallas, and then S. Dallas to Forbes Avenue. Because Forbes Avenue becomes a one way street, the 144E: Forbes Avenue will turn on S. Bellefield Avenue to connect with Fifth. The route will loop at Craft Street to return to Forbes Avenue where the 144E: Forbes Avenue will connect to S. Dallas, then Penn Avenue to Wilkinsburg Station.
145E: Monroeville
The 145E: Monroeville will operate as you would expect from Boyce CCAC to Wilkinsburg. The route terminates here, and while I am sure there will be some backlash, this will be done for efficiency standards. The 144E: Forbes Avenue will be able to replace the 67: Monroeville, and 69: Trafford between Wilkinsburg and Oakland. For riders needing to go to Oakland will be able to board the 1E: East Busway – Oakland at Wilkinsburg Station, and might even get one there quicker than the 2 PRT? routes mentioned. For those needing to get to Downtown, then the rider be able to board the E1: East Busway which will guarantee that the rider will get to Downtown in less time.
146E: Oakmont
The 146E: Oakmont will connect riders in Oakmont to Wilkinsburg therefore acting as a partial replacement for the P78: Oakmont Flyer. The two routes will be closely the same. The 146E: Oakmont will start in Oakmont, and follow the same path as the P78: Oakmont Flyer but will terminate at Wilkinsburg Station. The rider can then transfer to the E1: East Busway to get into Downtown. In addition, riders can board the 1E: East Busway – Oakland if they should need to go to Oakland. I understand that this is an extra route that one has to contend with, but it will be worth it for efficient services.
E14: Lincoln Park Flyer
The E14: Lincoln Park Flyer will operate in the exact same way with exception of the Downtown routing. However, for riders that need to get to Wilkinsburg as quickly as possible will be better off catching the E1: East Busway since the E14: Lincoln Park Flyer will exit at East Liberty Station, and take a more scenic route to get to Wilkinsburg Station.
E141: Swissvale
The E141: Swissvale will operate like the P71: Swissvale Flyer, but since this route is not a flyer, it will serve all busway stations in both directions for the riders. This will give a primary route to the East Busway between Downtown and Wilkinsburg.
E144: Centre
The E144: Centre will operate like the 82: Centre, however its Downtown routing will be different. Once the E144: Centre reaches Washington Place, the E144: Centre will turn to connect to Fifth Avenue. The E144: Centre will then serve as the Oakland Corridor route until reaching Sixth and Bedford. The E144: Centre will use Bedford to turn on Washington Place until reaching Centre Avenue where the E144: Centre will operate as you would expect from the 82: Centre.
E145: Liberty
The E145: Liberty will function as you would expect from the 86: Liberty. Even the Downtown routing will be the same, so there should be no issue with riders adjusting to the designation changes.
E146: Penn
The E146: Penn will replace the 88: Penn but will go further. The E146: Penn will exit Downtown using the Strip Corridor routing. The E146: Penn will serve Liberty to 32nd Street, to where the E146: Penn will turn, and connect to Penn Avenue. The E146: Penn will then serve the length of Penn Avenue passing East Liberty, and going to Wilkinsburg. The benefit for the E146: Penn will be when people living close to Penn Avenue wanting to go to Downtown. They will not have to wait for the E142: Point Breeze if they need to go to Downtown.