Jess Watson (junior-journalism) gets a convenient free bus ride to work at the Penn Stater, which is part of an extra service the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) implemented this year to add more buses to the existing Loop service.

"It’s good they made it non-paying," she said.

The U, M, H and P buses each are fare-free when they overlap the Town Loop and Campus Loop routes. The P line also includes the free ride off-campus to the Penn Stater at Innovation Park.

While it is free on campus, some students have taken advantage of the situation outside of the fare-free zone.

"We knew some would try to beat the system and there would be some who would be successful," said CATA Director of Service Development EricBernier. "People could beat the system before if they were imaginative enough."

The issue has not become a primary concern for CATA, Bernier said. He said the possibility of people trying to avoid paying fares is something that’s a part of the business.

"The intent was to take full advantage of every available seat on campus," Bernier said. "We don’t have the ability nor is the university willing to fund unlimited numbers of additional Loop and Link routes."

He said the U, M, H and P lines usually had empty seats in the fare-free zone, so it worked to add Loop service to them.

Bus driver Cheryl Siraguse said a problem can occur when students don’t know at what point they need to pay. She said she sees this on the M bus, which loops through campus and downtown before heading to Nittany Mall.

"Sometimes people think they’re on a Loop bus and then end up at the mall," said Siraguse, who drives the M route three days per week.

If fare beaters become too much of a problem during the trial of the new Loop service, CATA will take it into long-term consideration, Bernier said.

He said there can be ways to combat it, such as implementing systems to pay as a rider leaves the bus. Thus far, however, he said there has not been nearly enough of a problem to suggest changes.

As far as dealing with people who don’t pay, Siraguse said she nicely confronts them about it but avoids getting into major arguments.

"I’ll say they got a free ride to the mall but won’t get one back," Siraguse said. She added that it’s evident the paying riders wonder why some don’t have to pay.

If anybody really starts to give her a hard time, Siraguse said she can call base. If need be, a CATA supervisor and a police officer can be dispatched to the bus. She said problems never get that out of hand, though.

To avoid the confrontations completely, Siraguse said when her bus reaches the last fare-free stop she typically announces it to the bus. Many non-payers actually are unaware that they must pay beforehand and will quickly deposit their money after she mentions it.

Bernier said CATA has a much bigger problem with general late-night rowdiness.

This appears to often be alcohol-related, he said. In these situations, CATA often goes straight to the police for assistance.

CATA also clearly shows where fare-free zones begin and end in various ways, Bernier said.

"The boundaries are pretty explicitly shown on all of our public information," he said. "The fare-free zone is mapped out on all route schedules." Bernier added that all buses exclusively use signs on the front of the bus to show what route it is to further clear up any confusion.