The Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) said Friday it is experiencing the "growing pains" of an agency that is trying to provide quality service while staying within its $6.3 million budget.

Earlier this year, the agency raised its fare from $1 to $1.25 and cut back service on some of its Centre Line bus routes because of higher costs and the lack of a state subsidy increase, said Eric Bernier, director of service development.

CATA has rerouted trips and reduced service in low volume areas in an effort to economize, Bernier said.

He said the biggest factor driving up costs is the traffic in the State College area.

Bernier said increased traffic causes bus delays and means adding buses to routes to maintain schedules.

"Every year for the first couple weeks of the fall semester, traffic is normally heavy then settles down," Bernier said.

"This year it hasn't, which leads us to believe the traffic is here forever," he said.

He added that CATA has rerouted trips to avoid traffic problems as much as possible.

In most cases, however, the high-traffic areas are where bus riders want to go.

Bernier said the complaints CATA receives concern bus capacity, service cuts and timeliness.

He said even with additional buses on high volume routes, buses are still running late.

"Anytime you eliminate service in an area, someone is going to be affected," he said

Mike Tornambe (senior-international politics) takes the V bus to Vairo Boulevard.

He said the CATA system is working, but "it's tough when a bus passes you by because it's full, and you have to wait another half hour."

Ayana Daley (junior-crime, law and justice), who rides the N bus, which travels to Martin Street and Aaron Drive, said the bus seems to run on schedule during the morning but not at night.

"Toward evening, it does its own thing," Daley said.

"Sometimes it's reliable and sometimes it's not," Daley added.

She said that sometimes her bus is 45 minutes to an hour late.

Bernier said that as a public agency, about half of CATA's funds are subsidized by state, federal and local municipalities.

The other half of the funding comes from direct fares or pre-paid fares from Penn State, apartment complexes who offer bus service to tenants and pass sales.

In the past, Bernier said, cost increases could be absorbed by reserves created by budget surpluses, but eventually that money was used up.

Complicating matters, he said, is the downturn in the economy since last year's terrorist attacks, which decreased the amount of state tax revenue.