photos by Dominique Hildebrand 
On a primarily commuter-based campus, the Port Authority’s plan to issue a flat rate will bring welcome relief to commuters and those living outside of the city limits in Zone 2 bus routes. 

For the first time in 35 years, Port Authority Transit of Allegheny County (PAT) announced that it will merge Zones 1 and 2 with a flat rate of $2.50 with the use of a Connect Card. 

That means that riders who board in Zone 2 will enjoy a $1.25 discount under this new proposal, which still needs approval by PAT’s Planning & Stakeholder Relations Committee. 

“It’s definitely exciting. I’m excited. It’s going to cost me less to go home,” Lauren Ortego, a commuter from Greenfield and sophomore psychology major, said in an interview in Lawrence Hall. 

Under the current two-zone system, people commuting in Zone 1, which includes areas like the Strip District, Squirrel Hill, Homestead, North and South Side, pay a current rate of $2.50 per while people going to Penn Hills, Monroeville, New Kensington and beyond pay $3.75 per trip as part of Zone 2. 

Adam Brandolph, the media contact for Port Authority of Allegheny County said in a press release Jan. 13 that the decrease stems from numerous and long standing complaints and requests by citizens of Allegheny County, who argued that the Zone 2 fares put undue burdens on people like college students who commute into the city on a daily basis. 

Ashley Konchak is a sophomore special education and early childhood development major who currently pays $3.75 daily traveling to and from school from New Kensington. During a Tuesday interview in the Lawrence Hall commuter lounge, Konchak, who recently purchased a Connect Card, said she is optimistic about the new system. 

“[As] long as I am getting that fare guaranteed, I’d rather use the Connect Card and I don’t have to worry about scrambling for money,” she said. 

If implemented by a vote of the PAT Board, the new system will start on January 1, 2017. There will be a one-time $2 fee for purchasing or renewing the Connect Card. 

“The proposal not only makes public transportation more accessible and affordable for our riders— and potential riders—it’s the right move,” Brandolph said. 

Brandolph said those individuals wanting to use cash will have a twenty-five cent charge, while keeping rates for transfers the same. He also said that Point Park’s existing discount of $1 bus fare after 7 p.m. will still be in effect. 

“Since Point Park is such an urban school, it sure would save students like me a lot of money per semester,” Joe Truesdell, a sophomore business management major, said. 

With this change, student commuters will have the opportunity to save money while also giving PAT the opportunity to gain riders with its reduced wages. 

“I am thankful for the Port Authority system,” Konchak said. “[It] does help me as a student save money in the long run.”