People in the upper Allegheny Valley when Harmar was forced to shut down by Dan Onoraldo & Steve Bland, have been having a rough time getting around. We who live in Harrison Twp. on down to Tarentum and us who need to access Pittsburgh Mills have been completely shut off of service on weekends and midday evenings and nights. This has been a living nightmare with the loss of the 5 Natrona and only having inbound service M-F and outbound service M-F with P10 Allegheny Valley. The only bus we have to Pittsburgh Mills is poorly operated by Westmoreland Transit M-F which requires another fare. For us who can't afford a 2 zone fare we have to take a P 10 Allegheny Valley to either 4th and Corbett in Tarentum or walk down and up hill to get a 1 Freeport in either Tarentum, Springdale, then get off at Waterworks and transfer to another 1 Freeport or a 71B Highland Park or a 91 Butler Street. Harwick has always had no service during the above times also. I live in Sheldon Park and with the above if I have to be in Crafton Ingram Shopping Center by 10AM I have to get a bus at 6:54AM M-F and say I get back to Tarentum at 8:34PM I don't walk into apartment until 9:50 PM then have to get up at 4:45 AM and start walking at 5AM to get a 1 Freeport at 6:51AM then don't get back until 9:50PM. If I miss the 1 then I don't get home until 10:50 PM. For us who want to go to Oakmont we have to do the above and transfer in Harmar at Burger King to the 78/P78 M-F only for no service on weekends. With not having a zone 2 pass we have to transfer on Frankstown to a 77 Penn Hills to Robinson Blvd./Giant Eagle to a 79 East Hills to East Busway to another bus to town. To get to Pittsburgh Mills we must walk or take a P 10 to get 1 Freeport to New Kensington only on Monday thru Fridays to get a 14J to and from. PAT zone 1 monthly is $97.50 zone 2 monthly is $146.50 or cash base is $2.50 or zone 2 $3.75 plus $1.00 for transfers. WCTA Cash for zone 1 is $1.75 zone 2 $3.50, zone 3 $5.25 with free transfers to WCTA routes only, and not good on same route for return trip. No stops in Allegheny County except Pittsburgh Mills so transfer to 14J must be made in New Kensington where 1 Freeport picks up. WCTA monthly's cost $56.00 Zone 1 zone 2 $112.00 zone 3 $168.00 . People up here think Harrison Twp that is Natrona Heigts and Natrona, Brackenridge Tarentum, Creighton are in Westmoreland County when they are in deed in Allegheny County. The Allegheny river seperates both County's in the middle of it somewhere above Oakmont north. Community Market is over priced as Giant Eagle is and with the Wal Mart's Sam's and Pittsburgh Mills being off limits to us along with Save A Lot being in the back of New Ken we can't get to them, therefore we run out of food before next months Food Stamps come in. Springdale Cheswick and the rest of us are facing loosing 1 Freeport on Sundays if services are cut do to State lack of dedicated funding for all Pennsylvania Mass Transit systems, AMTRAK, Greyhound, Trailways, Highways, Bridges, Access, shared Access, Penn D.O.T. and Rails to Trails as early as July 1, 2014. Just past Highlands Mall Towne and Country, Butler's the Bus and Westmoreland Transit don't link to PAT so those areas in Westmoreland, Armstrong Allegheny and Butler County's are without service over to Vandergrift, Lower Burrell, then same with from above Freeport Road there's no services over hills to Route PA 8 to Butler with Myers Trailways down to Etna. I realize most of you want to blame PAT and just sit back and take services for granted however that must stop. We must get our voices heard and fast or deal with far less services.
PCC's were trashed in Pittsburgh PA after a accident where a PCC lost breaks coming from South Hills Jct. into Pittsburgh. The car after loosing breaks in transit tunnel jumped tracks and hit the P&LE Rail Roads Fright House in the 90's. Port Authority scrapped most cars and few are used as displays in County and not in use.
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