Pittsburgh officials are building incentives into their strategy to get more people to take public transit Downtown.

Why it matters: Downtown still hasn't recovered all of its pre-pandemic crowds, especially weekday office workers.

Driving the news: Pittsburgh launched a discount pass program with Pittsburgh Regional Transit on Saturday that supplies 750 Downtown city employees with free monthly passes.

By the numbers: The city of Pittsburgh is now PRT's largest participant in the PRTner Pass program, which supplies about 1,500 passes.

• Partner4Work, Fukui Architects and Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership are among some other Downtown groups and businesses that participate.

Zoom in: When buying 10 monthly transit passes or more, passes are 70% off of normal price.

• That means employers, schools, multi-unit housing complexes and other institutions can provide transit to their employees or residents for about $28 a month instead of $97.50 each.

Zoom out: Mayor Corey O'Connor said at a press conference yesterday that the city's $275,000 payment for employee transit is just one part of the administration's strategy to boost Downtown activity.

• He also touted the city's new $50 million tax diversion plan, which includes $10 million earmarked for public transit, transportation and mobility upgrades in the neighborhood.

Between the lines: Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said employers that provide perks like free transit could increase employee retention as well as help decrease traffic congestion and lower parking demand.

• She implored other large Downtown employers, like UPMC and PNC, to join the program.

The bottom line: PRT CEO Katharine Kelleman said events such as the NFL draft and recent Parkway East closure increased PRT's ridership, which generated good reviews from new riders

• She said that should show other employers that transit is worth investing in and will only improve as more riders get on board.
• "We have the bones to be a great transit city … we will get you there."

Pittsburgh is getting more passenger train service to New York City and points in between, Amtrak officials confirmed in a board meeting last week.

Why it matters: Amtrak saw a record 34.5 million riders last year and wants to capitalize on that growth.

The latest: A second train on the Pennsylvanian route will be added later this year, said outgoing Amtrak president Roger Harris at a July 29 board meeting.

• The Pennsylvanian currently travels between Pittsburgh and New York City via Harrisburg and Philadelphia, leaving Pittsburgh at 7:30am and arriving in NYC around 5pm.

Catch up quick: PennDOT struck a deal with Norfolk Southern — which operates the tracks between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg — in 2023 to upgrade tracks and stations along the route.

• Those upgrades are nearly complete, and they will allow freight trains to more easily pass passenger trains, increasing Amtrak's reliability on the route.

Zoom in: Amtrak serves Pittsburgh, Greensburg, Latrobe, Johnstown, Altoona and beyond on the Pennsylvanian line.

• Train travelers can also reach Chicago or Washington, D.C., on the Floridian line.

Zoom out: The Pennsylvanian is already showing "big improvements" even before additional service, said Amtrak COO Gery Williams in a May board meeting.

• The route had some of the lowest delays per 10,000 train miles traveled of any Amtrak service, said Williams.

What's next

⚾️ The Pirates traded away prospects to acquire several proven relievers — including Camilo Doval from the Yankees and Luke Weaver from the Mets — in hopes of bolstering their struggling bullpen as they make a late run for the playoffs.

• Weaver's 1.84 ERA is one of the league's best, and Doval led the league in saves in 2023. (MLB)

🛋️ Wayfair plans to open its first Pennsylvania storefront in Ross Township next year. The 95,000-square-foot store will open in the North Hills Village shopping center. (WTAE)

🎭 Pittsburgh CLO and Pittsburgh Public Theater are merging, and the new theater organization is asking the public for help with new name ideas. (TribLive)

• You can vote here.

A new ice cream shop has arrived in Deutschtown just as summer is really heating up.

The intrigue: Butterfat Gelato ran as an award-winning, roaming ice cream cart for years and set up its first brick-and-mortar location in the North Side recently.

Dig in: The shop offers classic and inventive flavors, with some like the charred corn already selling out just a few hours after it opened last Saturday.

• I tried the chocolate brownie and the carrot cake, which won the People's Choice Award for Most Popular Flavor in the U.S. at the 2023 Gelato Festival World Masters.
• The brownie had mild and creamy chocolate gelato and was a bit malty, which I loved.
• The carrot cake had all the signature warm spices, but they weren't overwhelming. It was easy to polish off my scoop, even on a hot day.

Cost: Scoops are $5 and come with a little waffle-cone cookie.

If you go: 404 East Ohio St., North Side

• Open Thursday-Friday 5pm-10pm, Saturday 2pm-10pm, Sunday 1pm-6pm
• Check out their Instagram for rotating flavors.

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