ComplaintsforPittsburgh Regional Transit

• Initial Complaint

  11/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  November 1, 2022 I attempted to take the p78 inbound at ****** and ******* that was scheduled at 8:18 am and it came at 8:15 am. I know for a fact the buses are not allowed to come early and there is a school bus driver shortage.This young lady school bus didn’t show up so she was trying to take this city bus and because it came early she couldn’t make it to school on time. I made a complaint ***** and I also included a screen shot of me calling port authority customer service at 8:16 am proving that it came way too early. Then today November 2 I took the p78 inbound bus 6548 at 7:57 am to negley station on the east busway which has a lot of construction but is still operational AND THE DRIVER REFUSED TO LET ME AND ANOTHER PASSENGER OFF THE BUS! She said that there was no where to drop us off at so we were basically kidnapped and forced to stay on the bus till we got to Herron station. This is not right, this driver was so lazy any excuse not to have to lift a finger. My complaint for November 2 incident with port authority is *****.

  Business response

  11/21/2022

  RE: ****** ******** ****** Complaint ID ********

  **** *** ******
  

  Please allow this correspondence to serve as Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a
  Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s (“PRT’s”) response to the complaint filed with the Better Business
  Bureau by a customer on or about November 2, 2022.
  The complaint as it relates to PRT states the following regarding two (2) separate incidents,
  one (1) occurring on November 1, 2022, and one (1) occurring on November 2, 2022:
  
  “Customer's Statement of the Problem:
  November 1, 2022 I attempted to take the p78 inbound at ****** and
  ******* that was scheduled at 8:18 am and it came at 8:15 am. I know for a
  fact the buses are not allowed to come early and there is a school bus driver
  shortage. This young lady school bus didn’t show up so she was trying to
  take this city bus and because it came early she couldn’t make it to school
  on time. I made a complaint ***** and I also included a screen shot of me
  calling port authority customer service at 8:16 am proving that it came way
  too early. Then today November 2 I took the p78 inbound bus 6548 at 7:57
  am to negley station on the east busway which has a lot of construction but
  is still operational AND THE DRIVER REFUSED TO LET ME AND
  ANOTHER PASSENGER OFF THE BUS! She said that there was no where
  to drop us off at so we were basically kidnapped and forced to stay on the
  bus till we got to Herron station. This is not right, this driver was so lazy
  any excuse not to have to lift a finger. My complaint for November 2 incident
  with port authority is *****.”
  

  Upon receipt of the notice of the complaint from the ****** ******** ******, PRT
  conducted investigations into the circumstances of the customer’s contacts with PRT and the two
  (2) complaints. Below are PRT’s findings:
  

  With respect to the first complaint, PRT’s Customer Service Department received a call
  from the customer on November 1, 2022, registering a complaint (Identifier #*****) regarding the
  P78 bus that was due at the ****** at ******* stop at 8:18 a.m. that the bus had arrived two (2)
  minutes early at 8:16 a.m. and as a result, the customer missed the bus at the stop. PRT’s Customer
  Service Department then reviewed the bus route electronically via PRT’s Clever-CAD monitoring
  system and confirmed that the bus arrived at the ****** at ******* bus stop at 8:17 a.m. in
  accordance with PRT official system-wide time keeping. According to PRT Bus Service
  Operational Guidelines, a bus is considered “on-time” when it arrives between one (1) minute
  before and five (5) minutes after a scheduled time-stop.
  

  With respect to the second complaint, PRT’s Customer Service Department received a call
  from the customer on November 2, 2022, registering a complaint (Identifier #*****) regarding the
  P78 bus that she was a passenger on traveling on the East Busway. The customer complained that
  the Operator would not let her off the bus where she wanted at Negley Station due to a construction
  area and that she felt kidnapped.
  

  PRT’s Operations Management personnel investigated the circumstances of the complaint.
  It was determined that due to safety concerns caused by fog and activity in the construction area
  near Negley Station, the Operator was unable to stop and safely allow passengers to disembark at
  the provisional drop off location and that the Operator proceeded to drop the customer off at the
  next station which was the first available safe place to alight from.
  

  In summary, PRT’s Customer Service Department investigated and confirmed that on
  November 1, 2022, the bus that would have picked up the customer at 8:18 a.m. at ****** and
  ******* arrived one (1) minute early which is considered “on-time” according to PRT bus service
  guidelines. Regarding the customer’s second complaint of not being dropped off where she wanted
  at Negley Station, the bus stopped at the next available station to allow the customer to safely
  alight once the bus had cleared the construction area.
  

  Very truly yours,
  

  /s/ Robert L. M****
  

  Robert L. M****
  

   

  cc: Mike Cetra, Esquire

  Customer response

  11/21/2022

  ****** ******** *******
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  If the buses are not equipped with strong enough lights to navigate thru frog, there buses are a safety hazard. The busway is very well lit there is no way she wasn’t able to let me off that bus. Then the other complaint port authority is lying because it was not only me but also a student who missed the bus. If I was at the stop at 8:16 am then I would have been able to catch the bus when it passed by at 8:27 am. I did not go home to call port authority customer service, I own a mobile phone where I can make calls from any location Im at. It’s not just me it’s the kids trying to get to school because there’s a school bus driver shortage, this company needs to get real! Their destroying my day but also kids futures!
  
  Regards,
  
  **** *****

• Initial Complaint

  11/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 11/1/2022 I needed to get home from Penn state. The only line that I can take is the 56. I have a 2 hour commute so I rely heavily on busses being there on time. I regularly check times and schedule accordingly. The 56 consistently does not show up, or even better, will have 3 buses at once just sitting there. I have been waiting for 2 hours for a bus that was supposed to come at 8:11pm. I have watched 2 busses simply drive away from the stop, and have been looking at 2 more busses for over an hour now. I simply want to get home before the busses stop running, but the 56 is constantly missing pick ups. I have dealt with this happening far to much. Why is it that the bus I need to take decides to sit there for and hour before simply leaving without picking up anyone. It should not take 5 busses just for me to go home.

  Business response

  11/15/2022

  Please allow this correspondence to serve as Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a
  Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s (“PRT’s”) response to the complaint filed with the Better Business
  Bureau by a customer on or about November 2, 2022.
  

  The complaint as it relates to PRT states the following:
  

  “I rely heavily on busses being there on time. I regularly check times and
  schedule accordingly. The 56 consistently does not show up, or even better,
  will have 3 buses at once just sitting there. I have been waiting for 2 hours
  for a bus that was supposed to come at 8:11pm. I have watched 2 busses
  simply drive away from the stop, and have been looking at 2 more busses
  for over an hour now. I simply want to get home before the busses stop
  running, but the 56 is constantly missing pick ups. I have dealt with this
  happening far to much. Why is it that the bus I need to take decides to sit
  there for and hour before simply leaving without picking up anyone. It
  should not take 5 busses just for me to go home.”
  

  Upon receipt of the notice of the complaint from the Better Business Bureau, PRT
  conducted an investigation into the circumstances of the customer’s contacts with PRT and the
  complaint. Below are PRT’s findings:
  

  Page 2
  
  PRT’s Customer Service Department has no record of a contact from the customer
  regarding the matters complained of in the BBB complaint.
  

  PRT’s Operations Management personnel investigated the circumstances of the customer’s
  

  complaint. It was determined that on November 1, 2022, Bus # 6439 was assigned to run the 56B
  Route. It was scheduled to leave the PRT division at 7:39 p.m. and arrive at the campus to start the
  56B at 8:05 p.m. According to PRT trip records Bus # 6439 started the run at 8:10 p.m. (5 minutes
  after scheduled departure of 8:05 p.m.), arriving at the first stop (Mathias St. at Quarry St.) with
  no passengers having yet boarded according to the Automatic Passenger Counter (APC). Bus #
  6439 then left the stop with 1 passenger recorded on the APC and proceeded on its route on
  time. The bus ran a regular route the entire trip, arriving in downtown Pittsburgh on time with an
  APC count of 12 at Fourth Avenue and Stanwix Street at 9:00 p.m. The inbound 56B is scheduled
  to arrive at the first stop (Mathias St. at Quarry St.) at 8:11 p.m., 9:17 p.m., 10:20 p.m., and 11:23
  p.m. every weeknight.
  

  In summary, PRT’s Operations Management investigated and determined that on
  November 1, 2022, the bus that would have serviced the customer’s bus stop at 8:11 p.m. arrived
  a few minutes late with no passengers on board and that it picked up 1 passenger at the customer’s
  stop. The bus ran the rest of the route on time with a normal load of passengers. PRT has no
  information that any of the subsequent 56B runs were late or did not provide service as scheduled.
  However, it is also unclear from the complaint what efforts the customer made to identify or
  inquire of the buses that were stopped or laying over as to when they would be starting a run so
  that he could make sure he planned appropriately to board a bus before its departure time.
  

  PRT has investigated the complaint and regrets that the customer was unable to utilize
  PRT’s bus service as intended.
  

• Initial Complaint

  09/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Thursday 9/1/2022 I attempted to take the *** inbound at stop **** ******* road and ****** st scheduled at 4:17 pm. I called port authority true time to get the bus eta and it said it would pass by at true time 4:16 pm and it never came. I called port authority to make a complaint #***** and the customer service agent said that the bus went rogue choosing its own route to follow which basically bypassed every stop on laketon road. I needed to go to the grocery store and I don’t have a car so I was forced to wait at the stop until the next bus scheduled for pick up at 5:15 pm that didn’t show up till 5:27 pm, over 10 minutes late. So for over a hour and a half I had to stand in the blazing hot sun with no where to sit, no shade, nor a corner store nearby to get myself water, the whole time I thought at any moment I was gonna pass out. My port authority bus pass number is *********** and if you look up the transactions you’ll see I didn’t not get on the next bus till nearly 5:30. Port authority is completely scamming people they advertise this trustworthy service you can rely on but if a bus driver doesn’t want to follow the given route they literally follow their own path. I have made many BBB complaints against port authority including ******** and ******** and nothing is ever done. I’ve included a pic of the weather, a picture of the hot unshaded bus stop, as well as a screen shot from how long I was on the phone with customer service. Every time I complain I never get any compensation or a formal apology, it just keeps happening and it’s not right. I would have taken a $10 Uber instead of loading the non refundable $10 on my bus pass if I knew they still hadn’t made any changes, that’s what makes it really a scam because they keep taking my money but never providing the services promised!

  Business response

  10/07/2022

  Please allow this correspondence to serve as Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a 
  Pittsburgh Regional Transit’s (“PRT’s”) response to the complaint filed with the Better Business 
  Bureau by a customer on or about September 2, 2022 (copy enclosed). The complaint was received 
  by PRT via regular mail on September 7, 2022. By email correspondence on September 20, 2022, 
  you were gracious enough to grant PRT’s request for an extension to respond until October 7, 
  2022. 

  
  The complaint as it relates to PRT states the following: 

  
  “Customer's Statement of the Problem: 

  
  Thursday 9/1/2022 I attempted to take the *** inbound at stop 7604 laketon 
  road and ****** st scheduled at 4:17 pm. I called port authority true time 
  to get the bus eta and it said it would pass by at true time 4:16 pm and it 
  never came. I called port authority to make a complaint #***** and the 
  customer service agent said that the bus went rogue choosing its own route 
  to follow which basically bypassed every stop on laketon road. I needed to 
  go to the grocery store and I don't have a car so I was forced to wait at the 
  stop until the next bus scheduled for pick up at 5:15 pm that didn't show up 
  till 5:27 pm, over 10 minutes late. So for over a hour and a half I had to 
  stand in the blazing hot sun with no where to sit, no shade, nor a corner
  store nearby to get myself water, the whole time I thought at any moment I
  was gonna pass out. My port authority bus pass number is *********** 

  and if you look up the transactions you'll see I didn't not get on the next bus 
  till nearly 5:30. Port authority is completely scamming people they 
  advertise this trustworthy service you can rely on but if a bus driver doesn't 
  want to follow the given route they literally follow their own path. I have 
  made many BBB complaints against port authority including ******** and 
  ******** and nothing is ever done. I've included a pie of the weather, a 
  picture of the hot unshaded bus stop, as well as a screen shot from how long 
  I was on the phone with customer service. Every time I complain I never get 
  any compensation or a formal apology, it just keeps happening and it's not 
  right. I would have taken a $10 Uber instead of loading the non refundable 
  $10 on my bus pass if I knew they still hadn't made any changes, that's what 
  makes it really a scam because they keep taking my money but never 
  providing the services promised!”

  
  Upon receipt of the notice of the complaint from the Better Business Bureau, PRT
  conducted an investigation into the circumstances of the customer’s contacts with PRT and the 
  complaint. Below are PRT’s findings:

  
  PRT’s Customer Service Department received a call from Ms. ***** on September 1, 2022,
  registering a complaint (Identifier #*****) regarding the *** bus that was due at her stop at 4:17
  p.m. Ms. ***** complained that she had checked with “Port Authority’s True Time” prior to 
  arriving at her stop and it advised that the bus would arrive at 4:16 p.m. but that the bus never 
  came. PRT’s Customer Service Department then notified the garage that the *** operates from for 
  follow-up. It was reported back to Customer Service that Road Operations Supervisors attempted 
  to inquire of the assigned driver on September 8, 2022, however the Supervisor was advised that 
  the driver had changed job locations due to a recent regularly scheduled assignment pick.

  
  PRT’s Operations Management personnel also investigated the circumstances of the 
  complaint. It was determined that the assigned Operator was required to submit to a Department 
  of Transportation mandated random Drug and Alcohol test that was scheduled shortly before the 
  trip that would have serviced Ms. *****’s bus stop at 4:17 p.m. and the Operator was unavailable 
  to begin the run at the scheduled time. Due to insufficient availability of Operator personnel, which 
  is a staffing challenge PRT and transit agencies across the country are facing post-pandemic, there 
  were no substitute Operators to take over the designated trip and the bus never left the garage. The 
  bus’s tracking software was not turned on until approximately 4:31 p.m. and does not provide real 
  time location data until the computer in the bus is logged in. Until the computer in the bus is logged 
  in, the information provided through the scheduling apps available through PRT and numerous 
  other third-party sources are merely scheduled times and not real time travel times. As a result, it 
  is possible that when Ms. ***** inquired of the “Port Authority True Time” before she went to the 
  bus stop that the scheduling information available was still showing that the bus was scheduled to 
  be on time. The information would not have been updated until the on-board computer was logged 
  in.
  

  
  It was also determined that the bus due at Ms. *****’s bus stop at or about 5:15 p.m. was 
  running 10 to 12 minutes late on that run due to traffic delays caused by construction on Route 28.
  In summary, PRT’s Operations Management investigated and confirmed that on 
  September 1, 2022, the bus that would have serviced Ms. *****’s bus stop at 4:17 p.m. did not 
  leave the garage due to the lack of availability of personnel because of a Department of 
  Transportation mandated random Drug and Alcohol test. PRT also determined that the next bus to 
  run the *** Route did so but was running approximately 10-12 minutes late due to construction 
  traffic.

  
  PRT has investigated the complaint and regrets that Ms. ***** was unable to utilize PRT’s 
  bus service as previously scheduled. 

  
  Very truly yours,
  
  Robert *. M****

  Customer response

  10/08/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint. This is a complete lie PRT has true time tracker on the website you can see how far away the bus is. I was watching the bus tracking count down from 5 mins to 3 mins etc. so it was definitely in operation. Plus when I talked to customer service I was specifically told that this but went around laketon road, and all calls are recorded for quality assurance. Just be honest you know what happend, It really shows how much the company respects their customers to just tell a bold face lie like this and think ok case closed. THAT CALL WAS RECORDED! By the time the call was done since she was able to track it she said it was all the way at the east busway. This is not right, it’s a total scam. Rogue drivers, can’t get money back to take Uber instead, maybe I’ll tell the department of transportation, then maybe something will be done!
  
   
  Regards,, 
  
  **** *****

• Initial Complaint

  06/27/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 6/24/2022 I attempted to take the p78 inbound at the stop at laketon and Howard at scheduled time 8:18 am. This bus is never in the tracker so I made sure I left my house early and as I started to approach the bus stop around 8:14 am or 8:15 am, I was approximately 10 ft away from the stop and the bus came speeding by me, totally ignoring me to try to flag it down. First, this is summer ppl can so easily pass out from heat stoke we need the buses to have their trackers on to know when the bus is coming so that ppl don’t have to stand in the hot sun forever. Im on an antibiotic called doxycycline that causes me to sunburn easily so it is extremely detrimental if i stand in the sun for the bus. Second, anytime I ride the bus that’s early they pull over and wait to get back on the timetable, but this bus came extremely early. Third, the way the driver came speeding by it was like she started going faster once she saw me trying to wave her down. Once you load your bus pass with money you can’t get a refund so I feel like it’s a scam because obviously port authority can’t meet the obligations to consumers once they pay for their services. My complaint to port authority is ***** I made it immediately after the bus passed me by.

  Business response

  07/22/2022

  Please allow this correspondence to serve as Port Authority of Allegheny County d/b/a Pittsburgh Regional Transit's (“Port Authority's") response to the complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau by a customer on or about June 27, 2022 (copy enclosed). The complaint was received by Port Authority via regular mail on July 6, 2022. 
  The complaint as it relates to Port Authority states the following: 

  
  "Customer's Statement of the Problem: On 6/24/2022 I attempted to take the p78 inbound at the stop at laketon and Howard at scheduled time 8:18 am. This bus is never in the tracker so I made sure I left my house early and as I started to approach the bus stop around 8:14 am or 8:15 am, I was approximately 10 ft away from the stop and the bus came speeding by me, totally ignoring me to try to flag it down. First, this is summer ppl can so easily pass out from heat stoke we need the buses to have their trackers on to know when the bus is coming so that ppl don't have to stand in the hot sun forever. Im on an antibiotic called doxycycline that causes me to sunburn easily so it is extremely detrimental if i stand in the sun for the bus. Second, anytime I ride the bus that's early they pull over and wait to get back on the timetable, but this bus came extremely early. Third, the way the driver came speeding by it was like she started going faster once she saw me trying to wave her down. Once you load your bus pass with money you can't get a refund so I feel like it's a scam because obviously port authority can't meet the obligations to consumers once they pay for their services. My complaint to port authority is ***** I made it immediately after the bus passed me by.” 

  Upon receipt of the notice of the complaint from the Better Business Bureau, Port Authority conducted an investigation into the circumstances of the customer's contacts with Port Authority and the complaint. Below are Port Authority's findings: 

  
  Port Authority's Customer Service Department received a call from Ms. ***** on June 24, 2022, at approximately 8:18 a.m. registering a complaint (Identifier #*****) that the P78 bus that was due at her stop at 8:18 a.m. came at 8:15 a.m., that the driver drove past her and that there is not another bus for an hour. Port Authority's Customer Service Department then notified the Director of Service Delivery (DSD) at the garage that the P78 operates from for follow-up. The DSD inquired of the assigned driver on June 26, 2022, and was advised that the driver had no knowledge of the incident. The driver was reminded by the DSD to service all bus stops. 

  
  Following receipt of the BBB complaint, Port Authority's Operations Management personnel also reviewed video surveillance of the bus trip. The supervisor determined that the bus had not been logged on to the Clever Devices bus trip tracking software and had been running approximately 2 1/2 minutes early when it reached Laketon at Howard at 8:15:23 a.m. The supervisor also noted that the bus had stopped to service three (3) other different stops prior to the Laketon at Howard bus stop. And lastly, the supervisor noted that review of the bus surveillance video did not reveal anyone in close proximity of the bus stop, running for the bus or attempting to wave the bus down at or near that particular stop. 

  
  In summary, Port Authority's Operations Management investigated and confirmed that on June 24, 2022, between 8:15 a.m. and 8:18 a.m. the P78 bus was not logged into the tracking software and was running approximately 2 12 minutes early at the time it reached Laketon at Howard. Operations Management noted that the bus had previously stopped at three (3) other stops, and that a review of the bus surveillance video did not reveal anyone at the bus stop, running for the bus, or attempting to wave or flag the bus down at that stop. 
  Port Authority has investigated the complaint and will take measures to ensure that its tracking software is more fully utilized. 

  
  Very truly yours, 
  
  Robert *. M**** 
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  02/02/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Monday February 1 2022 i stood at laketon rd and Howard st to take the p78 inbound at scheduled time 2:45 pm. The bus didn’t arrive until 2:51 (I believe it was bus 6427 but I could be wrong) and I had somewhere to be so as I paid my fare I told the driver I had somewhere and politely asked if she could speed it up. Then the African American female bus driver started being so disrespectful and belittling to me saying how crazy I am and how she doesn’t want to her my crazy talk and as I took my seat in the front complaining how they are so many red lights but there is only 1 stop sign at laketon rd and graham I could still hear her hollering at me saying I need to go buy myself a car if I need to be somewhere on time and she kept repeating “I don’t know who your talking to” I was so tired of hearing her mouth I said “i was talking to you” so she said since your so late now im gonna drive the bus slower and started driving at a snails pace. I felt so incredibly disrespected and undervalued, because she would not shut up, her rant about how crazy I was for telling her that she was late went on forever, like she was doing me a favor. Your only job is to drive a bus and have it be on time that’s this is her professional job where she gets a professional payment but instead she’s acting like this is a volunteer position and she’s doing everybody a favor. Even when I told her if you keep yelling at me I’m gonna complain she still kept yelling how she didn’t want to hear my crazy talk and how I should go buy myself a car, which made me feel bad about myself because I wish I could buy a car and go about my everyday tasks secure behind 4 locked doors I don’t like catching the bus and this driver was kinda rubbing it in I don’t have the money for a car so I better sit down and shut up and that’s not right. I really want to call back about this because I’m on disability, I have ptsd and I’m mentally ill, yesterday did something to my pride, this drivers insults cut to the core

  Business response

  02/23/2022

  Please allow this correspondence to serve as Port Authority of Allegheny County's (“Port Authority's") response to the complaint filed with the Better Business Bureau by a customer on or about February 2, 2022 (copy enclosed). 

  
  The complaint as it relates to Port Authority states the following: 

  
  "Monday February 1 2022 i stood at laketon rd and Howard st to take the p78 inbound at scheduled time 2:45 pm. The bus didn't arrive until 2:51 {I believe it was bus 6427 but I could be wrong) and I had somewhere to be so as I paid my fare I told the driver I had somewhere and politely asked if she could speed it up. Then the African American female bus driver started being so disrespectful and belittling to me saying how crazy I am and how she doesn't want to her my crazy talk and as I took my seat in the front complaining how they are so many red lights but there is only 1 stop sign at laketon rd and graham I could still hear her hollering at me saying I need to go buy myself a car if I need to be somewhere on time and she kept repeating "I don't know who your talking to" I was so tired of hearing her mouth I said "i was talking to you" so she said since your so late now im gonna drive the bus slower and started driving at a snails pace. I felt so incredibly disrespected and undervalued, because she would not shut up, her rant about how crazy I was for telling her that she was late went on forever, like she was doing me a favor. Your only job is to drive a bus and have it be on time that's this is her professional job where she gets a professional payment but instead she's acting like this is a volunteer position and she's doing everybody a favor. Even when I told her if you keep yelling at me I'm gonna complain she still kept yelling how she didn't want to hear my crazy talk and how I should go buy myself a car, which made me feel bad about myself because I wish I could buy a car and go about my everyday tasks secure behind 4 locked doors I don't like catching the bus and this driver was kinda rubbing it in I don't have the money for a car so I better sit down and shut up and that's not right. I really want to call back about this because I'm on disability, I have ptsd and I'm mentally ill, yesterday did something to my pride, this drivers insults cut to the core" 

  Upon receipt of the notice of the complaint from the Better Business Bureau, Port Authority conducted an investigation into the circumstances of the customer's contacts with Port Authority and the complaint.

  Below are Port Authority's findings: 

  Port Authority's Customer Service Department records do not reflect that the customer contacted Port Authority on either January 31, February 1, or subsequent to the complained of 
  Id be noted that the customer complains that the incident took place on “Monday February 1 2022.” February 1, 2022 was a Tuesday, and therefore Port Authority initiated a search for records documenting a contact by the customer complaining of an incident on either day, January 31 or February 1, 2022, but none were located. 

  In order to confirm which day and trip the customer was actually referring to when making the complaint, Port Authority Police investigated and located bus surveillance video from an inbound Route P78 (Oakmont Flyer) Bus #6274 that stopped to pick up a passenger at 2:52 p.m. at Laketon Rd. and Howard Street on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. 

  Having confirmed the trip that the customer was referring to, Port Authority's Operations Management personnel reviewed the particulars of the complaint and also tracked the actual trip records for the P78 Bus #6274 the entire length of the trip from the beginning of the route through to the terminus in downtown Pittsburgh. The operator left the outer terminus in Harmar on-time, proceeded down Allegheny Avenue where it lost time due to the number of stops and traffic. There are a number of stop signs along this stretch and it is not uncommon for operators to lose time on this stretch of road. On this day, the operator lost approximately 5 minutes of time as she traveled down the corridor but never went above 6 minutes late (Port Authority's standard for "on-time" is between 1 minute early and 5 minutes late of scheduled arrival). Operators are trained to operate in a safe manner and follow all posted speed and safety signs and they are not able or permitted to just “speed it up" to make up time. They also are required to pick up and drop off passengers at their designated stops at specific times which can make attempting to “make-up” time extremely difficult. In this situation, the operator was able to recover some of the lost time once she arrived at the East Liberty connection to the East Busway, as the busway provided her the opportunity to operate with less traffic restrictions and limited stops allowing her to continue in motion to re align the scheduled stops and corresponding times. The P78 arrived at the inner terminus at Penn Station downtown right on time. Additionally, Operations Management personnel contacted the bus dispatch for Bus #6274 on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, to inquire as to whether they had received any complaints related to this issue or this operator, and as of Friday, February 11th there had been no complaints received at the division. 

  In summary, Port Authority's Operations Management investigated and confirmed that on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, the P78 #6274 was running approximately 5 minutes late following the stretch of road including Allegheny Avenue and Allegheny River Boulevard and that it continued to run behind schedule until it reached the East Busway and arrived in downtown Pittsburgh at its inner terminus on-time. Once a bus trip becomes delayed and is running behind time due to traffic and other conditions, an operator may not just “speed it up” to get back on time. Operators are trained and required to operate the buses safely and within posted speed limits, notwithstanding a customer's request. 
  

  Very truly yours
  

  
  

  Customer response

  02/23/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  That’s nice you saw the bus was running late but what does that have to do with the driver belittling me about having to take the bus and making me feel awful about myself teasing me that I don’t have the money to buy a new car, and embarrassing continually calling me crazy. 
  
  Regards,
  
  **** *****

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩