Feb 20, 2026 - Transit

All-door boarding coming to University Line

Ryan Deto

Wet city street in Pittsburgh with a red bus-only lane, a blue bus labeled 61C, two pedestrians walking on the gray sidewalk, and beige buildings with black awnings and flower pots. — The 61C route, and other University Line routes, will use all-door boarding starting in 2027. Photo: Ryan Deto/Axios

The city's newest rapid-transit bus line will make boarding faster and easier.

Why it matters: Pittsburgh Regional Transit will implement all-door boarding on all University Line buses starting in 2027, when the line is scheduled to be complete, aiming to make travel more efficient.

Context: Bus riders currently only enter at the front of the bus to pay their fare in PRT's network.

Most of the network will remain front-door boarding, including routes that ride through some, but not all, University Line stations, like the P1, according to PRT spokesperson Adam Brandolph.

How it works: Riders using mobile pay or Connect Cards will be able to enter the front, middle and rear doors on University Line buses and pay their fare on validators located near each door.

Riders paying in cash will have to board at the front door.

Between the lines: All-door boarding will reduce dwell times at stations and speed up service, said PRT.

The agency said fare evasion is not a big concern, since PRT's fare evasion rate was 6% in 2025, much less than rates reported in Philadelphia, New York and San Francisco.

What's next: Downtown University Line stations were completed last year, and the remaining stations in Uptown and Oakland are expected to be finished sometime in 2027.

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All-door boarding coming to University Line

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