“FROM A MACRO PERSPECTIVE, WHAT [ANDREW] IS DOING IS VERY VALUABLE.”
INCOMING Stuff We Like (July 2) “While I have no doubt that this section will eventually become a regular part of my City Paper reading experience, I was shocked, saddened, and dismayed to discover this in place of my favorite section of the City Paper: the Ink Well crossword puzzle! Say it ain’t so! What sets the CP crossword apart from the rest is the fun, irreverent answers and the challenges that they bring because you can’t cheat using sites like “One Across” as you are able to do with the more “traditional” crossword puzzles. It is/was a truly unique puzzle and with all the buzz about “neuroplasticity” and brain training going around, I feel like this is a truly epic loss to my brain’s weekly routine! Please don’t leave us crossword lovers out in the cold! For years, I have worked on these puzzles with friends, family, and even strangers on the bus; it is a bonding experience, truly, and the fact that it’s free makes it even more indispensable in my life! I very much hope that the paper will bring the crossword back because it has saved me countless hours of boredom, allowed me to open up and cooperate with others in the pursuit of answers, and has no doubt brought many a smile to my face when I have filled in those boxes, knowing that I am aware of the correct answer. My favorite clue? ‘It delivers the hits;’ the answer: bong.” — Web comment from “Way Lucas”
WYEP marks 40 years as “the station that refused to die” (June 25) “Sadly, this article entirely omits WYEP’s stunning impact on Pittsburgh’s Punk and New Wave scene in the late ’ 70s and early ’80s. Hell, aside from nurturing its growth locally, DJ W.T. Koltek and [his] cohorts introduced us to so very many cool sounds that weren’t even necessarily punk or new wave, but all shared an … edge that superbly expanded one’s musical references. To me that was the period of WYEP’s golden age. I can very easily say these folks had the same tremendous impact locally as did the legendary underground radio DJ ‘Brother Love’ (Ken Reeth) at WAMO during the late ’60s.” — Web comment from “Pa Ubu”
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TIMED TRAVEL Amateur transit-spotter tries to fill PAT’s real-time information void {BY ALEX ZIMMERMAN}
A
NDREW’S IDEA of prime Downtown
real estate is a crowded rush-hour bus stop. It doesn’t have much of a view, and every few minutes a bus belching diesel fumes roars past. But he’s too busy to let any of that bother him. “It’s a really good spot for transitspotting,” he says, his face buried in a pristine white iPhone 5s. Settled into a green fold-up captain’s chair at Fifth Avenue and William Penn Place, he cranes his neck to watch a 71D Hamilton pull away across the street. “There are people who mock me for the chair, but if you’re at a bus stop, and it’s hot, you want a seat,” he says. His fingers race across his phone, which tells him the bus is running six minutes late. He pauses, unsure if it’s worth inputting the 71D’s tardiness into Tiramisu, an app that lets riders track buses with information gathered from other users. Buses often run behind schedule during rush hour, and six minutes isn’t that late. But as he’s done thousands of times before, Andrew decides more information is better than less, and plugs the update in. It hardly seems like subversive activity, but Andrew requested that his last name be withheld from this story due to tensions with the Port Authority and “unforeseen repercussions [from] people who don’t like the service.” The agency has claimed that at times his “customer service” has bordered on impersonating transit workers.
PITTSBURGH CITY PAPER 07.09/07.16.2014
{PHOTO BY RENEE ROSENSTEEL}
Andrew updates the @PGH_BUS_INFO Twitter feed.
Nevertheless, for the past decade, Andrew, now 26, has spent much of his day tweeting and answering phone calls about basic scheduling information and service disruptions. He doesn’t have another job — he uses the public assistance he gets to take care of Internet and phone costs, but he’s quick to point out his lifestyle is hardly lavish: He lives in subsidized housing in Penn Hills and often doesn’t have enough money to even afford a monthly bus pass. The information he provides is the
center of “Mobile Bus Information Hotline” — an all-purpose phone number (412-7593335) and Twitter account (@PGH_BUS_ INFO) that he runs after the evening rush into the early morning hours when Port Authority’s own customer-service center is typically shut down. Port Authority has lagged behind larger transit agencies in providing real-time information about delays and other disruptions. “There’s definitely a demand for it,” Andrew says, proudly adding that he’s CONTINUES ON PG. 08