Route 38A can trace its history back to a former
Shafer Coach Lines route deviation started in 1961. As Shafer ran the line, it was a deviation from the regular Pittsburgh - Coraopolis - Airport line (which became PAT's 21A) and served 1 trips daily via the Parkway West under Shafer to serve employees at the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport. As Airlines Transportation Company held the rights for hauling passengers between the airport and Pittsburgh, Shafer was heavily restricted by the PaPUC and the service was approved based strictly that it was an airport employee only run.
Garages assigned to the 38A:
- Ohio Valley Region (Coraopolis Garage) - 03/03/64 - 03/30/68
- Ross Division - 03/31/68 - 11/18/73
Destination Signs:
Route ran with window cards and destination signs.
Above are representative of what you would have seen for the route on
split sign buses.
Routing:
Original Routing from Pittsburgh - Liberty at Stanwix via
Stanwix, Ft. Duquesne Blvd, Fort Pitt ramp, Fort Pitt Bridge & Tunnel,
Parkway West direct to the Rotunda at Greater Pittsburgh International
Airport to Beer Schools Road, South Patton Drive, Chaplin Drive, Stacker
Drive, Coraopolis & Carnot Road, Thornburg Road, Snyder Drive, Coraopolis &
Carnot Road, Hassam Road, Montour Street Extension, Montour, Fifth Avenue,
Ferrence, Fourth Avenue, Montour to Fifth Avenue.
Original Routing From Coraopolis - Fifth Avenue and
Montour to Montour Street Extension, Hassam Road, Coraopolis & Carnot Road,
Snyder Drive, Thornburg Road, Coraopolis & Carnot Road, Stacker Drive,
Chaplin Drive, South Patton Drive, Beers School Road to the Rotunda at
Greater Pittsburgh International Airport to Parkway West, Fort Pitt Tunnel
and Bridge, Liberty Avenue ramp, Liberty Avenue to Stanwix.
1968 Routing from Pittsburgh - Regular route to Greater
Pittsburgh International Airport to Beers School Road, Broadhead Road, West
Hills Shopping Center, Beers School Road to South Patton Drive and regular
route.
1968 Routing from Coraopolis - Regular Route to Beers
School Road, Broadhead Road, West Hills Shopping Center, Beers School Road
to Greater Pittsburgh International Airport and regular route.
A one way trip on the regular routing took approximately
1 hour and 7 minutes
Route Highlights:
Started: 03/03/64 (Shafer acquisition).
Ended: 11/18/73 when the route was redesignated
as the A Airport Red Flyer.
The 38A ran only Monday through Friday with no
weekend or holiday service.
The 38A originally ran one round trip daily but
was expanded to 3 round trips daily by 1968.
The restrictions on the operation still were in
effect under PAT even though the employee only portion was routinely
ignored in favor of carrying anyone that was willing to ride.
Airlines Transportation filed a complaint with
the PaPUC over the violations to the restrictions and PAT was forced to
abandon the direct service to the airport terminal and made to discharge
passengers on the main road. This change occurred towards the end of the
38A operation in 1973 and was carried over to the A Flyer.
Although this route was part of Shafer's
Coraopolis - Pittsburgh - Airport route (21A) as a deviation, PAT split
it off into its own route as it didn't run into Pittsburgh via the 21
corridor.
The early 38A schedule issued was extremely
difficult to comprehend as it lumped various 25 series routes and 38A
trips into the same time table with no real notation to differentiate
what was what. By 1968 the 38A schedule was by itself in the 21A
schedule.
Schedules (Known PAT issued schedules are listed):
The 38A had 2 distinct schedule types under the Ohio
Valley Region and carried the folder OV-2. The first being an all white fold
out schedule and the second being a fold out schedule in the late 60's era
styling and shared a folder with the 21A, 21B, 21C and the local Coraopolis
25 series routes.
- OV-2A - 08/30/64
- OV-2B - 06/27/65 - Corrected to 05/01/66
- OV-2C - ?
- OV-2D - ?
- OV-2E - ?
- OV-2F - ?
- OV-2G - 01/02/68
The schedules from Ross Division were of the late 60's design in black
and carried the folder number R-13. The 38A shared a folder with the 21A,
21B, 21C and the 25B.
- R-13A - 04/01/68
- R-13B - ?
- R-13C - 12/08/68 corrected to 01/13/69 and 02/23/69
- R-13D - ?
- R-13E - 08/31/69
- R-13F - 11/23/69
- R-13G - 02/22/70
- R-13H - 04/19/70
- R-13J - ?
- R-13K - ?
- R-13L - ?
- R-13M - ?
- R-13N - 02/20/72
- R-13P - 04/16/72
- R-13Q - 07/09/72
- R-13R - 11/01/72
- R-13S - ?
- R-13T - ?
There may have been schedules issued prior to OV-2A and were typically reprinted former
operator schedules.
Folder numbers did repeat. Letters I and O were not used
Route Disposition:
The 38A was redesignated as the A Airport Red Flyer
effective 11/19/73.
Click on images for larger view
Route maps for the 38A and one of the later schedules for
the route. |
