The 61C Cafe may have to change its name to the 50X Cafe if the proposed redesign of the Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) bus routes goes into effect.PRT released the new plan on Sept. 30 following surveys and meetings with bus riders to determine their needs. The route design team members are now in the process of meeting with riders again at various popup events to talk about the changes.In Wilkinsburg, where new bus routes would mean expanded access to areas other than Downtown, the changes were greeted favorably by riders who stopped by to talk to the planners during PRT’s first public outreach event at a resources fair held at the Ethnan Temple Seventh-day Adventist Church on Oct. 2.“These buses are now going in the right way,” William Miller of Wilkinsburg said.He said he will be moving to Oakland. Jake Stockman, a senior planner at PRT, walked him through what buses he would have to take if the proposed changes are put into effect.“Sometimes I want to go shopping and I end up with more than I anticipated,” Miller said, explaining why he doesn’t want to transfer from bus to bus.The changes, Stockman said, are not designed to save money, but to improve service because the routes will cover areas where riders want to go.PRT Senior Planner Jake Stockman, right, explains some of the proposed bus route changes to William Miller of Wilkinsburg. Photo by Ann Belser.The current system is designed to move office workers Downtown in the morning and back home at night like spokes on a wheel. Other errands often demand that riders often have to ride toward Downtown in order to catch an outbound bus to their destination.Stockman said in a post pandemic world, fewer riders are using the buses to go Downtown to work. Instead, riders need the buses to get them to the grocery store or medical appointments.With the new routes, Stockman said, “99% of current riders who live within a quarter mile of a bus stop will still live within a quarter mile of a bus stop.”Additionally, he said 85,000 more residents of the county will have frequent bus service — defined by one bus scheduled every 30 minutes or sooner.The redesign of the bus service creates new routes, in part by cutting existing routes in two, so that a rider who would take their usual route all the way from the end of the line to Downtown will, under the redesign, have to transfer to another bus.PRT is also considering creating micro transit districts in which small buses will circle communities, such as Penn Hills, to provide transit to hard to reach areas.The transit authority is also planning to create up to 20 transit hubs with shelters, lighting, seating and fare vending machines where riders can transfer from one bus to another. Every route under the new plan would have a letter designation followed by a route number. Buses that go Downtown will start with a D. Buses to Oakland will be designated with an O. Buses that travel between neighborhoods will start with an N. For instance, the 64 bus which runs between Lawrenceville and The Waterfront shopping center in Homestead would be the N94. Its route will be lengthened to include Millvale.PRT Senior Planner Jake Stockman, left, talks to Naomi Berry of Penn Hills about the proposed changes to the bus system, Behind them Isaac Harsh, a consultant for Michael Baker, second from left, and PRT Senior Planner Ben Nicklow talk to another rider. Photo by Ann Belser.A fourth category of buses will be the X buses, which will travel on the new PRTX, the high speed bus line being built between Downtown and Oakland. The PRTX has, in the past, been referred to as Bus Rapid Transit and the University Line. Under the proposal, the 61A to Braddock Hills will be called the X60, the 61B to Braddock Hills will be the X61, the 61C to McKeesport will be the X50, the 71B to Highland Park will be the X90 and the P3 to Swissvale Station will be the X80.Riders of local transit are used to name changes but rarely adopt them. The system started as Port Authority of Allegheny County, then changed to Port Authority Transit or PAT for short. In the 90s it was briefly called Port Authority Gold, which no one ever used. Later the system went back to Port Authority Transit, then dropped Transit from the name to become the more generic “Port Authority.” Two years ago the name was changed again to Pittsburgh Regional Transit. But many riders still call it the PAT bus.“I’m glad I came over here,” Naomi Berry of Penn Hills said after looking at the proposed changes. “This is what I need to know.”Stockman explained that under the proposal, buses will generally run later, but not all night.Berry said overnight buses aren’t necessary in Pittsburgh: “This is the city that sleeps” she joked.PRT is continuing to take comments in person at popup events around the county through Oct. 18. See the full schedule with more details here. Oct. 3 – McKeesport Oct. 5 – Dormont Oct. 7 – Braddock Hills  Oct. 8 – Sheraden  Oct. 9 – Carrick Oct. 10 – Market Square (Downtown) Oct. 11 – Penn Hills  Oct. 14 – Millvale Oct. 15 – Oakland Oct. 15 – Wilkinsburg Oct. 16 – Oakland (Schenley Plaza) Oct. 18 – North SideThe transit agency will eventually offer downloadable surveys about the changes for riders to print and mail back. That survey is not yet available on the website, though.The PRT planners and consultants will gather the comments and release a second draft of the route changes in the spring.The post Could your PRT bus route be changing soon? appeared first on NEXTpittsburgh.