With Gov. Ed Rendell's pledge to increase financial support for public transportation systems, Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) officials are hoping they won't have to cut services.

In his budget address Wednesday, Rendell identified mass transit systems as the top priority in his list of programs in need of funding, specifically CATA in Centre County.

Hugh Mose, CATA's general manager, said the agency's officials are in the process of negotiating which services will be eliminated from the program in the case that state funding does not increase.

"We will have to cut service," he said.

If state funding does not increase this year, CATA will be forced to cut a minimum of 5 percent of its service, Mose said.

He added that Rendell's proposition is encouraging for the transportation authority, but CATA is a service in need of significant funding increases.

Last year, state funding for CATA amounted to about $1.7 million.

"I think for us to comfortably maintain what we are providing today is going to require about $500,000 [more from the state]," Mose said.

In the past three years, CATA has served a community that is growing at a greater rate than the rate of CATA's incoming revenue, he added.

To resolve this discrepancy, nearly another $1 million is necessary before CATA can begin to extend its services, Mose said.

The availability of public transportation is essential to the quality of life in Centre County, Mark Whitfield, State College public works director, said.

"Our goal is to see less people driving and more people riding mass transit," he said.

However, identifying mass transit funding as a priority and following through with funding are two separate things, said Rep. John Maher, R-Allegheny and Washington, and House of Representatives subcommittee chairman for transportation.

Although Rendell has spoken in favor of increased public transportation funding, that does not mean the increases will be realized, Maher said.

"Any coherent observer understands the status quo is broken," he said.

In his address, Rendell said the mass transit system is in "crisis."

"We cannot wait. We must identify and implement an adequate solution for mass transit. ...," he said during his budget address.

However, Maher said that Rendell's proposals have amounted to "nickels and dimes" and are not significant enough to solve the state's problem.

"The transit agencies across the state will be suffering at least as much next year as they have this year," he said.

Some of CATA's recent budget deficits have resulted from Penn State students choosing to commute to campus rather than pay for a monthly bus pass, Whitfield said.

"[CATA is] in very dire straits," Whitfield said. "Mass transit has to have government support to be able to operate."