Service changes proposed today by the Port Authority would affect every rider on every route in ways big and small.

For some, it would be a new route number, or a color. For others, routes would be eliminated or revised. Stops would be fewer and farther apart. Service on some routes would start earlier, run later and operate more frequently.

The bottom line, authority officials say, is that more riders will be served more efficiently and at a lower cost.

"When people understand what this plan is about, the overwhelming majority of riders will see better service," said authority CEO Steve Bland. "My first reaction to anyone who says this is a service cut is 'No it is not.' We're providing more service to more people, not less."

The authority's consultant for the service overhaul is proposing that the current 186 routes be reduced to 122, but that weekday bus trips be increased 8 percent, from 7,353 to 7,907.

Twenty-four routes with low ridership would be eliminated. Numerous other routes would be merged to boost ridership.

Mr. Bland said only 11 of the routes being eliminated have no alternative service, affecting only about 400 riders. Other routes that are being cut or consolidated were redundant, he said.

In addition to providing faster, more frequent service in high-demand corridors, the plan aims to simplify schedules and smooth out the intervals between trips -- curbing the aggravating phenomenon of no buses for 25 minutes followed by two or three in tandem.

Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates, which developed the plan under a $1.33 million contract, said the proposed changes "will provide better service to the large majority of existing riders," boost ridership by 11 percent and cut operating costs per passenger by 16 percent.

Among the proposed changes:

• Fewer stops. Authority spokesman Jim Ritchie said while the placement of stops has not been finalized, "we're going to cut stops systemwide because we have too many."

The consultant is recommending stops be 700 feet apart, slightly more than one-eighth mile, in most corridors. For a majority of riders, that would mean walking no more than an extra block or two. In lower-density areas and on express routes, the spacing would be greater.

• Simplified Downtown routing. The number of alignments would be cut from 40 to seven and they would be tailored to the buses' destinations. For example, North Side trips would be routed into the northern edge of Downtown and back out.

Buses would use far fewer streets and turn less often, reducing delays, the consultant said.

• Fewer route variations. Many current routes have multiple digressions depending on the time of day. Most would be eliminated. For example, the current 46G Elizabeth-Clairton Express has 36 different routings. All but two would be eliminated.

• New route designations. Every route would be renamed, most with two-digit numbers and no letter. As examples: the 41B Bower Hill would become 41 Bower Hill; 11E Fineview would be 11 Fineview; 16D Manchester would be 18 Manchester.

Some destination names also would change. Example: 36D Westwood becomes 37 Ridgemont.

Colors would be introduced for the first time on rail lines and routes that use the three busways and the Interstate 279 HOV lanes. Routes on the T would be redesignated as the Blue, Red and Brown lines.

The West Busway would be the Green Line, and buses using it would have a G prefix (i.e. - G31 Bridgeville Flyer). The East Busway would be the Purple Line (with P prefixes), the South Busway the Yellow Line and the HOV lane the Orange Line.

• Rapid bus service. Likened to a "subway on wheels," the service, popular in other cities, uses specially marked vehicles that serve high ridership corridors with fewer stops and faster travel times. Eventually, the authority wants to implement off-bus fare collection; real-time passenger information (electronic signs at stops that post arrival time for the next bus); and "transit priority" measures like traffic signals that allow faster passage for buses.

The service is proposed for the eight current 61- and 71-series Oakland-to-Downtown routes and the 28X Airport Flyer. The airport bus would no longer serve Robinson Town Centre and likely would have a fare surcharge for cash customers.

Mr. Ritchie said the authority hasn't decided whether to impose a surcharge on the other Rapid Bus routes.

• Transit hubs and more park-n-ride lots. As a longer-term goal, the authority wants to develop transit centers and additional park-n-ride lots throughout the county. Most of the authority's existing lots fill by 7 a.m. or shortly thereafter.

More than 200 pages of route-by-route detail of the latest proposal can be viewed at tdp.portauthority.org.

Mr. Ritchie said the service changes would start in March and be phased in slowly over three to five years. "The simplest things will be done first," he said.