Riders adjusting to Port Authority fare changes, policy shifts

Port Authority says it may make some minor changes at the end of the month, but overall riders have adjusted to the agency’s new fare system.

Senior community relations officer Dan DeBone said during a committee meeting Wednesday that only about 1 percent of questions and complaints the agency is receiving concern the change in fare policy that began Jan. 1.

The agency continues to get many more questions about another policy change that requires riders to always enter the front of the bus and pay their fare when they enter, reversing a decades-old procedure for the agency, Mr. DeBone said. Passengers also must exit from the rear at all times, although drivers have been encouraged to use common sense and discretion if a passenger asks to leave from the front, said Bill Miller, chief operations officer.

“We didn’t know what to expect,” said Mr. DeBone. “[Pay enter] has now become second nature to our customers.”

The authority changed from a

two-tiered fare system with fees of $2.50 for shorter rides and $3.75 for longer rides to a flat $2.50 for customers using pre-paid ConnectCards and $2.75 for cash customers.

After the system has been in place for a month, the agency will review concerns and decide if additional tweaks should be made, said Bill Miller, chief operations officer. On the first day of the new system, the agency realized it had overlooked bike riders and should allow them to leave through the front door rather than walking from the exit door to the rack at the front of the bus to retrieve their bike.

The agency’s board will consider a proposal from Comcast to install Wi-Fi service in Downtown T stations by the end of June. A committee recommended approval of the service, which will be free to the authority and its riders.

The service will be provided automatically for current Comcast customers while others will have to go through a one-time signup to use it. The service will be available in the stations but not in the cars when they travel in underground tunnels.

Comcast spokesman Bob Grove said new users also would be able to use any of the 2,500 other Comcast hot spots in the Pittsburgh area for free for up to two hours a month.