# Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway

The Martin Luther King Jr. East Busway is a two-lane bus-only highway serving the city of Pittsburgh and many of its eastern neighborhoods and suburbs. It was named after Martin Luther King Jr. in recognition of the eastern portion of the route's serving many predominantly African-American neighborhoods, such as Wilkinsburg and East Liberty. It is owned and maintained by Pittsburgh Regional Transit.
The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), under its BRT Standard, has given the East Busway corridor a Bronze ranking.

## History

Originally occupied by a railroad line, planning for the East Busway began shortly after the Port Authority of Allegheny County purchased the Pittsburgh Railways Company in 1964. The original segment of the busway opened in February 1983, running between Downtown Pittsburgh and Edgewood, a length of 6.8 miles.
In 2003, the busway was extended into Swissvale by 2.3 miles (3.7 km), making its current length 9.1 miles (14.6 km).
In July 2013, the East Busway was discussed in the context of the Mon Fayette Expressway.

## Routes

Following the naming convention of each busway being designated by a color, bus routes that use the East Busway begin with a "P" for purple. However, the P13 (Mount Royal Flyer) is colored purple and uses a "P" designation, but does not use the busway; instead, it travels via Route 28. The P1 ("East Busway All Stops") is the main route, operating seven days a week and running the full length of the Busway between Swissvale and Downtown Pittsburgh, making all stops, before running a short loop through the central business district. It is the busiest Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus route by ridership.
All busway routes travel to downtown Pittsburgh, making a loop around before returning via the busway. The one exception to this is the P3 (East Busway-Oakland), which starts in Swissvale, but leaves the busway via the Neville Street Ramp, serving the business district of Oakland and terminating at Robinson Street.
Many of Pittsburgh Regional Transit's express and suburban Flyer routes also use the busway, but with stop restrictions, not picking up passengers at some busway stations in the inbound direction or dropping off passengers at some busway stations in the outbound direction. These routes operate primarily during weekday rush hours allowing buses to bypass the heavily congested Parkway East (Interstate 376), making for faster trip times. The East Busway is also used by some Westmoreland Transit routes, which run further into the Pittsburgh suburbs, ending in the cities of Greensburg and Latrobe in Westmoreland County.
As of February 2024, the Pittsburgh Regional Transit bus routes that use the East Busway are as follows:
| Route | Route Name | Destination | Roads Traveled | Notes |
| P1 | East Busway All Stops | Swissvale station | East Busway | Daily, all-day service |
| P3 | East Busway-Oakland | 5th Av & Robinson St | Neville St/5th Av | Weekdays only |
| P7 | McKeesport Flyer | McKeesport Transportation Center | Edgewood Av/Rankin Bl/Kennywood Bl | Weekday peak hours only, stop restrictions |
| P10 | Allegheny Valley Flyer | Harrison | Route 28/Freeport Rd | Weekday peak hours only, stop restrictions |
| P12 | Holiday Park Flyer | Holiday Park | Penn Av/Parkway East/Golden Mile Hwy | Weekday peak hours only, stop restrictions |
| P16 | Penn Hills Flyer | Alpha Ice Complex, Harmar | Leechburg Rd or Universal Rd | Weekday peak hours only, stop restrictions |
| P17 | Lincoln Park Flyer | Nadine | Lincoln Av/Mt Carmel Rd | Weekday peak hours only, stop restrictions |
| P67 | Monroeville Flyer | Monroeville Mall | William Penn Hwy | Weekday peak hours only, stop restrictions |
| P68 | Braddock Hills Flyer | Forbes Hospital | Brinton Rd/Braddock Av/James St | Daily, all-day service, stop restrictions |
| P69 | Trafford Flyer | Viaduct Way, Trafford | Ardmore Bl/Airbrake Av/Broadway Bl | Weekday peak hours only, stop restrictions |
| P71 | Swissvale Flyer | Swissvale station | Savannah Av/Braddock Av/Woodstock Av | Weekday peak hours only, stop restrictions |
| P76 | Lincoln Highway Flyer | Olympia Park and Ride | Ardmore Bl/Lincoln Hwy/Long Run Rd | Weekday peak hours only, stop restrictions |
| P78 | Oakmont Flyer | Alpha Ice Complex, Harmar | Laketon Rd/Verona Rd/Allegheny River Bl | Weekdays only, stop restrictions |

## Stations

| Station Name | Neighborhood/Borough | Routes | Notes |
| Penn Station | Downtown | P1  P7  P10  P12  P16  P17  P67  P68  P69  P71  P76  P78 | Amtrak: Floridian, Pennsylvanian Greyhound Lines |
| Herron | Polish Hill | P1  P7  P10  P12  P16  P17  P67  P68  P69  P71  P76  P78 | |
| Negley | Shadyside | P1  P3  P7  P10  P12  P16  P17  P67  P68  P69  P71  P76  P78 | |
| East Liberty | East Liberty | P1  P3  P7  P10  P12  P16  P17  P67  P68  P69  P71  P76  P78 | |
| Homewood | Homewood, Point Breeze North | P1  P3  P7  P12  P16  P67  P68  P69  P71  P76  P78 | |
| Wilkinsburg | Wilkinsburg | P1  P3  P7  P12  P16  P67  P68  P69  P71  P76  P78 | Park and ride: 748 spaces |
| Hay Street | Wilkinsburg | P7  P12  P16  P67  P68  P69  P71  P76  P78 | Located on spur to Hay Street |
| Hamnett | Wilkinsburg | P1  P3 | Park and ride: 128 spaces |
| Roslyn | Swissvale | P1  P3 | |
| Swissvale | Swissvale | P1  P3 | Park and ride: 163 spaces |