PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Something new has arrived in Pittsburgh, just in time to warm people up. There are now four warming stations: bus stops with heaters for people waiting in the cold for a bus.
Watch the segment that aired on CBS Pittsburgh »
The stops are equipped with a heater that turns on with a button you push. They have also a motion detector which can trigger the heater.
The warmth is courtesy of Highmark Community Blue.
There are four stations right now. Three of them Downtown: the Boulevard of the Allies and Stanwix, Liberty and Ninth, and Fifth and Ross. The remaining station is on the North Side near the Rivers Casino.
Lamar Advertising transformed bus shelters into warming stations for Highmark in Pittsburgh, PA.
Michelle Pace of the Hill District, who had been waiting 35 minutes for her bus, gave the station a rave review.
“I can feel it, and I thought it was very nice that they would even do this!” said Pace. “This is the first bus stop I’ve ever seen this at.”
The warming stations just became operational in the last two weeks.
The Port Authority of Allegheny County wasn’t really involved, according to a spokesperson. Instead, it was Lamar Advertising and Highmark.
Linda Duchak of Allison Park said, “I think it’s great! It makes taking public transportation that much more attractive.”
It’s possible that there could be more warming station locations in the future.