Since Penn State lowered its monthly commuter-parking rate one year ago, the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) has noticed a decrease in the use of its off-campus services.

Penn State transportation director Teresa Davis said CATA is concerned because the $5 monthly commuter parking permit is much cheaper than the $48 CATA monthly bus pass.

Davis added that CATA thinks this has led to an increased use of cars by commuters and less use of the public transportation system.

"The purpose [of lowering the monthly rate] was to encourage people to leave the core of campus," she said. "It is successful. The commuter lots are full everyday."

Commuters from the Bryce Jordan Center lots still take a bus provided by CATA as transportation to the center of campus, but the university pays for the buses CATA uses on campus, Davis said.

"Part of a student's tuition covers the CATA bus service," she said. "What that doesn't cover, the parking office picks up."

Davis said she also attributes the commuter parking success to students no longer being able to park in most on-campus parking lots, such as the HUB Parking Deck.

State College Borough Council member Cathy Dauler said the situation has come up several times during council meetings and is a concern to several members.

"More people have brought a car onto campus. There are places downtown having a lot of trouble because people are parked there all day when they shouldn't be," she said. "The university thought they were doing the right thing."

Borough Council CATA representative Donald Sherman said fewer people are using public transportation from their homes, but there is no concrete evidence for the cause.

"It is easy to see that ridership is down," he said. "We just don't have the facts to say the change in [commuter parking permit rates] has had an effect."

Borough Council President Tom Daubert said he thinks the university did a "decent" service for Penn State community members.

"Penn State has done a good job," he said.

"They are doing what they have to do to meet the demands of staff, students and faculty," he added.

Daubert added that university members drive to campus because of their hectic schedules.

"Students and faculty don't work from 9 to 5," he said. "If the buses came every 10 minutes like they do on campus it would work, but they don't. It is not practical for [students and faculty] to wait 30 minutes for a bus."

Sherman said with its current budget, CATA cannot arrange for buses to arrive every few minutes. A spokesperson from CATA was not available for comment yesterday. Davis said the $5 monthly commuter parking permit rate would continue.

"Students are paying for a lot of things," she said.