Both the Pirates and the Steelers packed fans into sold-out stadiums Sunday night, but the Port Authority of Allegheny County was the true winner, according to Rich Fitzgerald.
At a news conference Monday, the county executive praised the Port Authority for how it handled Sunday night’s massive crowds and provided a report card for its progress.
“Port Authority has really done a terrific job in the year and a half that the subway extension to the North Shore has been there, engaging and meeting the needs of the specific events that we have, such as some of the big sporting events, concerts, venues that occur on the North Shore connecting it over into town and parts into the South Hills,” Fitzgerald said.
He also commended the Port Authority’s advertising, which increased 12 percent during fiscal year 2012-13.
“Our North Side station advertising is sold out through the end of the year and on into 2014," Fitzgerald said. "Greyhound corporation has bought this station, the Steel Plaza, for two months, and those ads are going to be installed soon. Miller Brewing just bought four bus wraps that have Pittsburgh Penguin themes, which you will start to notice once hockey season gets underway shortly.”
Fitzgerald said he expects that number to increase even more this fiscal year.
He said the Port Authority has received a lot of positive public feedback on its Real Time pilot, which enables commuters to track the location of their buses using a GPS system on the smart phones.
Fitzgerald said they expect to expand the program to the other routes beginning the first quarter of 2014.
