Taking bus or T to downtown from Mt. Lebonon (Lebanon: houses, construction)

[xman099]

We are looking for houses along the bus line or T route. We do not mind taking longer time to downtown than driving if there were still seats left. Do the buses (route 41 or 36) or trains fill up quickly during rush hour (8AM)? How is the traffic when we are getting back (6PM)? Thanks a lot.

[svband76]

I'd consider Dormont before Lebo, unless you have kids. Even then KO Schools are pretty good. You can walk to the T from all areas in Dormont with relative ease. Not so in Mt. Lebanon. Cool old homes in Dormont. You may have to stand but your trip is only 30-35 minutes. Probably more so at 8 am than 6 pm.

[guy2073]

I commuted on the 41 years ago, it would fill up quickly. I imagine the ridership has not declined. I would recommend the t over the bus anyday.

[PenguinsFan14]

Originally Posted by xman099

We are looking for houses along the bus line or T route. We do not mind taking longer time to downtown than driving if there were still seats left. Do the buses (route 41 or 36) or trains fill up quickly during rush hour (8AM)? How is the traffic when we are getting back (6PM)? Thanks a lot.

I'm familiar with the T at that time. Remember, there are 2 cars during rush hour. At 8am, you will get a seat at Mt. Lebo station, but you will have to sit with someone else or stand. There may be 1 or 2 of the cool single seats left, but it's doubtful. All the seats usually aren't taken until Beechview. Coming back around 6pm, it should be extremely packed and you shouldn't get a seat unless you get on at Gateway. By the time it gets to Steel Plaza, it is already crowded with a ton of people standing and no seats available. I've been on it many times while leaving downtown just after 5 and it was so crowded that people could barely move. They really squeeze people into those cars. If you are leaving at 6, it will be less crowded but the seats should still all be gone. I'm not familiar with the buses and don't know anyone that uses them from Mt. Lebo. I know there is a local south hills route and there used to be a downtown bus last summer during the red line construction, but I think that is now gone. Unless you're far away from a T stop, I would rely on the T rather than a bus. If you drive to the T, however, only the Mt. Lebo garage will be available. Dormont's lot is very small and Castle Shannon's lot fills up very fast. You may be able to use public parking off of west liberty ave and take get on at Dormont station though.

[xman099]

Thank you guys for the information. That's really helpful. I am thinking maybe I should drive to mt. lebanon in the morning to try it by myself.