I have to go to Pittsburgh on business a couple of time per year. My appointments are all within walking distance of downtown, so I take the commuter bus from a local shopping center.
It is $4.50 and back each way which, as you know, hardly pays for parking downtown. The first time I took it, I was really, really nervous and got a 6:30 a.m. bus for an 8:30 a.m. appointment figuring there was no way in hell the bus could meet their scheduled hour or so travel time to downtown with Pittsburgh rush hour traffic being what it is.
To my pleasant surprise, it actually has a great on-time schedule due to traveling most of the distance on special busways which, I am told, were once trolley line rights of way.
If you think Wilkinsburg is a run down third world town from the eye level on the streets, you should see it from the mini-canyons which the busses travel through! I've seen back alleys in Bangkok which were better kept and where urinating and even pooping in the streets is considered normal.