Thrifty Loopers ride on weekend
On a cold night, free CATA bus service benefits students

By GREGORY RICHARDS
Collegian Staff Writer

The students stood huddled outside, silhouetted by the streetlight above.

For them, the complex world of today had been reduced to a matter of temperature and time, both of which were running rather low at this point as the Friday night scene at the University began to unfold.

They looked anxiously down the street for the familiar outline of the bus lights that they were awaiting. The cold winds roared and the clocks ticked until that awaited moment became reality -- the blue and white behemoth pulled up to the curb. The Town Loop had arrived.

"It's just one of those Penn State things to do," said Centre Area Transportation Authority bus driver Bob Beck. "I've seen alumni come back and see friends that they have not seen for years while riding the Loop."

And now, the Loop may be even more appealing. From 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. last weekend the Loop was free, thanks to an agreement between CATA and several groups on campus. The agreement is an effort to provide safe transportation during the cold weather. The service will also be offered this weekend.

This proved to be good news to riders Friday night.

Eric Zayes (junior-hotel, restaurant and institutional management) and his friends summed up the mood when they screamed, "It's free," as they boarded the bus and saw the pillow case covering the fare collector.

"This is my first time on the Loop, " said Zayes, who was on his way to Sigma Pi, 303 Fraternity Row. "I wouldn't be on it right now if it wasn't free."

Beck said he thinks a free Loop provides a beneficial service for students.

"As long as the financial aspect of operating it can be worked out, I think it's a good idea," Beck said. "It gives people an alternative to driving drunk, and it also keeps females from traveling by themselves across campus late at night."

But Frank Koegler, another bus driver for CATA, thinks differently about the issue.

"I don't see how the $.35 fare is a hardship for anyone," Koegler said. "If you want to help move people around (by not charging fares), do it during class time -- it seems kind of frivolous to do it at night."

But students like riding the Loop for free at night.

As the Loop made its endless circle between Beaver Avenue and the campus Friday night, it picked up Liz Villamil (freshman-business) at one of the East Halls stops -- where many of the people heading into town board the bus.

"The Loop is very convenient, especially since it's cold and we don't have any money," said Villamil, who was on her way to West Halls with a friend.

Although the scene on the Loop this weekend was not out-of-control, Beck said that this was not always the case.

"One of my most memorable moments was after we had won the national championship," Beck said, adding that he was driving between East and West Halls when the crowd began rocking the bus.

"Other nights it seems like the only thing missing is the band," he said. "It's almost like a big party in here."

Many people want to join the Loop party, but it is not always that easy as Erica Cho (junior-art) can attest to.

When Beck pulled the bus over at the next stop, Cho climbed on bundled up from head to toe to battle the cold.

"I'm glad that I managed to get on (the Loop) now, because earlier in the day I was trying to get on when it just raced by me. I chased after it, but it just wouldn't stop," Cho said.

Other people could probably tell similar stories, Beck said, but what most do not realize is that the trick of getting a bus to stop is not much of a trick at all. People simply need to signal the driver with some body language.

"With some stops servicing between four-to-five lines, it can become really hard to tell if someone wants to get on the bus," Beck said. "We rely on movements such as leaning towards the bus to determine if a person wants to get on or not."

CATA drivers use this practice to stay on schedule, Beck added.

For those students who know the rules of the game, the Loop can make an evening.

Brian Douglas (sophomore-engineering) and his friends found that the Loop can double as an information center.

"We were going to what we thought was a frat party, but we just found out that they're not having it anymore," Douglas said. "So now we're just going to sit on here for a while and ask people about other parties to go to."

As that group headed off the Loop in pursuit of the perfect party, other riders started boarding the bus with different intentions in mind -- sleep.

Tonia Forlani (senior-finance) was one such person.

"I chose the Loop because it's the quickest way home, free or not," Forlani said on her way home from a party on Park Avenue. "It's just basically the best way to get around town."