To get a sense of the sounds and routines of jitney transport, I talked with Terri Baltimore, the former director of community engagement for the Hill House Association and the current Activities Coordinator at Macedonia FACE Active for Life Center in the Hill District, who was born and raised in the Hill District. Jitney rides were the main transportation for her family since they, like many families in the Hill, did not own a car. Ms. Baltimore recalled how the jitney ride always began with a telephone call. When she finished Sunday dinner with family, there would be a car waiting to take them where they needed. Riding with the same drivers from week to week, Ms. Baltimore remembered that they were like close friends or family who they trusted entirely. During the rides, people would certainly gossip, because how else does the community stay connected with each other’s business? Riders and drivers would catch up on the local news, official and unofficial. Sometimes conversation would turn to activism and civil rights, particularly the events organized by local leader Frankie Mae Pace.

Facing segregation and racial prejudice, Black families were routinely denied transportation in city cabs, and therefore the jitney was integral, ensuring the community’s right to get around town. In fact, over 85% of jitney patrons in Pittsburgh were Black. The jitneys in the Hill were unlike jitneys in other cities, in that they connected the community while fostering a sense of reliability and security for Black Pittsburghers. Ms. Baltimore observed that the main difference between historic jitneys and today’s Ubers is that Ubers are transactional whereas the jitneys of the Hill built relationships.