Port Authority of Allegheny County
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Two 2004 Gillig Advantage buses, which makes up PAT's current fleet, near the campus of the University of Pittsburgh.
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| Slogan | Connecting People to Life |
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| Founded | March 1, 1964 |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Service area | Allegheny County and bordering portions of Beaver, Washington, Westmoreland and Armstrong counties |
| Service type |
Public Transit Light Rail Bus Rapid Transit Inclined-Plane Railway (Funicular) |
| Stations | 69 |
| Fleet | 60 35ft buses 520 40ft buses 126 60ft Articulated buses Light rail: 83 Funicular: 2 |
| Daily ridership | 213,100 (Avg. Q4 2014) 176,900 (bus) 27,700 (light rail) 5,600 (on-demand) 3,000 (funicular) |
| Fuel type | Diesel, Diesel-electric Hybrid |
| Operator | Allegheny County Government |
| Chief executive | Ellen McLean |
| Website | Port Authority's official website |
Port Authority of Allegheny County (also known as the Port Authority and formerly as Port Authority Transit (PAT) and PATransit) is the second-largest public transit agency in Pennsylvania and the 26th-largest in the United States. The county-owned, state-funded agency is based in Pittsburgh and is overseen by a CEO and a nine-member board of unpaid volunteer directors, who are appointed by the county executive and approved by the county council.
The Port Authority's bus, light rail and funicular system covers Allegheny County. On a few of its longer-distance routes, service extends into neighboring counties such as Beaver, Washington, and Westmoreland. These counties have their own transit systems, including several routes that run into downtown Pittsburgh, where riders can make connections with Port Authority service.
The Port Authority was created by the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1956 to allow for creation of port facilities in the Pittsburgh area. Three years later, the legislation was amended to allow the Port Authority to acquire privately owned transit companies that served the area. This included the Pittsburgh Railways Company and 32 independent bus and incline operations.
On April 19, 1963 the Board of Allegheny County Commissioners authorized the acquisition of 32 transit companies, including the Pittsburgh Railways Company, which had provided bus and streetcar service to Pittsburgh since January 1902, and an incline plane company, for about $12 million. On March 1, 1964 Port Authority Transit began service.
Shortly after the Port Authority began service, 150 GM "Fishbowl" buses were introduced to replace aging ones acquired from its predecessors, a new route numbering convention was introduced, and the fare system was streamlined. Due to urban sprawl, the agency introduced new routes that served new communities. In the following years, additional buses were ordered and several new transit garages opened. Many of the trolley lines acquired from Pittsburgh Railways were abandoned, and turned into bus lines; South Hills lines via Beechview and Overbrook were retained. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Port Authority hoped to introduce a modern rapid transit system known as Skybus with rubber-tired vehicles running on rails, but the plan fell through.
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