Last chance to comment this week on possible changes to transit service

Feedback that Freedom Transit received a few months ago has morphed into short-term, medium-term and long-term proposals that could affect bus riders’ daily commute.
The local transportation authority is giving bus riders one more chance this week to either view plans in person at one of several locations around the county to give feedback or to comment online at www.freedom-transit.org.
Here are some of the highlights of short-term changes that could take effect for little or no cost:
- Metro line bus runs to downtown Pittsburgh only during rush hour; other trips would connect Washington County to the South Hills Village “T” station.
- Reorganizing County Line bus service to connect to Mon Valley Transit Authority buses in Charleroi and Monongahela while removing some trips from McDonald.
- Adding a “circulator” bus on weekdays that would connect downtown Canonsburg to Southpointe and, possibly, Canonsburg Hospital.
Freedom Transit and its governing body, Washington County Transportation Authority, are working on a five-year plan, and the above proposals could be implemented within a year from when the final plan is released at month’s end.
Other changes for the mid-term, within the next two to four years, or long-term, within five years and beyond, would require additional funding.
Sheila Gombita, executive director of Washington County Transportation Authority, said without the extra capital and/or operating dollars, the proposed changes would go by the wayside.
If it could obtain the money, Freedom Transit would like to develop a service “spine” between Washington and Canonsburg, adding a park-and-ride lot on Racetrack Road and a transit center in downtown Canonsburg.
Bus shelters with real-time arrival displays, maps and schedules at transfer points and shared-ride services in the entire county that would be accessible to fixed routes could also be in the offing.
A question mark surrounds long-term possibilities for the public transportation system.
“Rapid changes in technology and automation make it more difficult to anticipate long-term transportation recommendations,” according to a draft of the Transit Development Plan.
These include “on-demand microtransit” similar to Uber or Lyft that could replace fixed-route service in Washington and Canonsburg; and the extension of County Line routes to Monongahela, Charleroi, Burgettstown and Claysville.
Posters outlining the changes will be displayed this week during normal business hours at the Washington Transit Center, 50 E. Chestnut St.; Canonsburg Borough Building, 68 E. Pike St.; Mid Mon Valley Transit Authority Transfer Center, 1300 McKean Ave., Charleroi; and the office of state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, 316 W. Main St., Monongahela.
Comment cards will be provided at these locations. Washington transit center’s hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, and Mid Mon Valley’s are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.