Transit within Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh is a medium sized city. It is generally safe, especially in the areas surrounding the universities.Â
Pittsburgh airport is connected to Oakland (location of both University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) and Carnegie Mellon University) by the 28-X airport flyer. The bus leaves from Pittsburgh airport at door #2 in the baggage claim area. You can purchase a PRT ConnectCard at a machine on the left just before leaving the building. With a PRT card, you can take connecting busses for free. On the bus, only exact change is accepted in cash ($2.75 per ride).
Oakland is also connected by bus to downtown with frequent connections on lines 61 (A, B, C), 67, 69, 71 (B, C). Google maps works well to identify bus connections and often has live updates on the location of busses. The Port Authority of Allegheny County also provides a map with live updates which at times is more accurate.
At the airport: Busses often disappear from live updates just before they are due. The location update is switched off while drivers take a break. This is a known quirk of the system, the bus will reappear on the map just before it leaves.
Oakland and surrounding areas are very walkable, but the walks may be long.
Ride sharing apps like Uber or Lyft also work well in Pittsburgh.
Driving in Pittsburgh is generally easy and traffic is manageable, but note the fact that there may be strict requirements to be in a certain lane, especially in the downtown area, with little time to merge. Parking in Oakland on the other hand is rare and expensive. If you are staying elsewhere in the city, it is highly recommended to use public transit to come to Oakland (or allow additional time to find parking and walk). Even if you are staying in Oakland, it may be worth finding free parking elsewhere. You can find information about pay parking and permit parking to avoid.
Also see wikitravel for further information.