Public Transportation near Airport (Pittsburgh, Washington: appointed, rent, hotel)

[junepharm6]

I'm a flight attendant who will soon be based in Pittsburgh. I've been told that the public transportation system is almost non-existent but saw that there is a bus route out to the airport. As I will have to live very close to the airport, can anyone tell me anything more regarding public transportation to and from and near the airport? Thanks in advance.

[Moby Hick]

The 28x goes through a shopping area and from there down a dedicated busway and into Pittsburgh. I don't take it often, but it is sometimes crowded. I see a fair number of airline and airport workers on it when I do take it.

[I_Like_Spam]

If you're looking to public transit it to the airport, the 28x route is the only one which goes there. You can catch the bus in Oakland, town, along the West Busway and in Robinson Township.

From any place else it will take 2 busses for you to get to work.

[steindle]

Originally Posted by junepharm6

I've been told that the public transportation system is almost non-existent

This is a ridiculous exaggeration, FYI. Pittsburgh has around the 11th largest transit system in the country, for the 20th largest metro area. There are over 70 regular routes, most of which run every day, many of which run as late as 2AM and as early as 4AM. There are additionally at least 25 "flyer" routes that are used primarily by far-flung suburban commuters, and which run primarily during rush hour. This is not to mention the trolley system.

I am so sick of the doom and gloom hyperbole surrounding our transit system being spread primarily by people who don't know anything about it.

(P.S. I'm not implicating you, the original poster, in this -- but I am talking about the people who must have given you the impression that public transportation is "non-existent" in Pittsburgh.)

[junepharm6]

Originally Posted by steindle

This is a ridiculous exaggeration, FYI. Pittsburgh has around the 11th largest transit system in the country, for the 20th largest metro area. There are over 70 regular routes, most of which run every day, many of which run as late as 2AM and as early as 4AM. There are additionally at least 25 "flyer" routes that are used primarily by far-flung suburban commuters, and which run primarily during rush hour. This is not to mention the trolley system.

I am so sick of the doom and gloom hyperbole surrounding our transit system being spread primarily by people who don't know anything about it.

(P.S. I'm not implicating you, the original poster, in this -- but I am talking about the people who must have given you the impression that public transportation is "non-existent" in Pittsburgh.)

The person who told me the original information has not lived in Pittsburgh for awhile and I felt that, given the city's size, there had to be a comprehensive public transit system. So, I'm glad I thought of posting my question on this forum and getting information from people in Pittsburgh who truly know the city. And, I am grateful for everyones' reply. Thank you. And don't hesitate to add more information if you have it.
I will probably be living at a hotel when I start out. I have only been to Pittsburgh once and loved my visit.

[captainmidnight]

The 28X runs every 30 minutes between 5AM and Midnight. It runs between Oakland, Downtown, West Busway, Robinson Town Center, and the airport. The bus doesn't go through any neighborhood streets, mostly main arteries. If you want one bus service to/from the airport, you'd have to live in Oakland or Downtown or close to the West Busway. If one bus service isn't a concern to you, you can live basically anywhere around the city, ride a bus that goes Downtown and then catch the 28X from there and vice versa. Just buy a Zone 2 pass and you don't have to pay transfers.

Here is the schedule: http://www.portauthority.org/rt/28X.pdf

[BrianTH]

If it were me, I'd start by looking for something near the West Busway.

[javajive711]

My sister is a flight attendent who lives within walking distance to a West Busway station, but usually drives to the airport because the last thing she wants to do after not being home for days is wait 30+ minutes for a bus. Also, she's experienced the bus not showing up multiple times, resulting in her both missing 6AM flights and having to call one of us to rescue her when she was stranded at the airport after midnight.

Every time there's talks of slashing PAT buses, the 28X is always at the top of the list to cancel. It's survived several attempts to kill it, but who knows what the future holds.

Ironically, living "very close to the airport" in Moon makes it harder to get to the airport the way the highways are, and there's no bus from Moon to the airport. You'll want to live along 376 in the west, but NOT 376 Business. Robinson, Carnegie, and Crafton are neighborhoods to look at. (Carnegie and Crafton are both along the West Busway; Robinson is in between Carnegie and the airport).

[junepharm6]

Thanks for all the good input everyone. I decided to bring my car to PIT and rent a car when going back to my legal address in South Carolina once or twice a month. I am planning on renting a room at a crashpad in McDonald. I've already put in my request to transfer to Washington, DC, where getting around via public transportation is much easier. Disappointed I won't be staying in PIT for good but will take advantage of all Pittsburgh has to offer in the meantime. I planning on digging my hockey skates out of storage and joining the Pittsburgh area Jitterbug Club.

[greg42]

Funny, I remember this thread and thought I posted in it, but I either changed my mind or lost my post in a browser crash or something. Not sure.

Good luck with it. I can understand not wanting to need a car at your other location when keeping the address in SC. I have to think that in general your cost of housing will be more in DC, but if it comes with a drop in transportation cost it might not be that much more overall. And if you're settling for crashpads it may not be that much difference I suppose.

I'm surprised there's even an FA base out of PIT at all anymore. Obviously planes overnight here and all but I didn't think any one airline had enough call for a base.