Despite student complaints of overcrowded buses, Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) officials said they have no plans to increase service.

Cold weather is prompting more students to use the buses, but the sporadic demand is not strong enough to put more buses on the street, CATA's Service Development Manager Eric Bernier said.

"I don't think the mission of CATA or Penn State is to predict riders' patterns to the nth degree," Bernier said. "Let's face it, it's a free campus service."

Buses seem to be overcrowded at various times, including when classes let out, early mornings and weekend nights, Bernier said. He added that CATA is evaluating the situation and working to improve its service, but that it is difficult to expend a lot of resources and energy on more buses.

"If there was a constant pattern of demand," Bernier said, "sure, we would put more buses on the street." He added that all transportation decisions are made jointly with Penn State. University spokesmen were unavailable for comment by press time.

Maria Lutz (freshman-nursing), a frequent rider at the IM Building stop on Curtin road, said she has stood at the bus stop and watched several full White Loops pass by without even stopping.

"Everyone was pushing to get on," she said. "We ended up having to run to catch the bus at the next stop."

The problems that arise during the weekdays are compounded on weekend nights, when the problem becomes safety, not overcrowding, Sherry Snyder, assistant director of transportation for CATA, said. More buses would do little to solve the problem, which occurs most often at the East Halls bus stop, she added.

"The late-night issues are not as much overcrowding, but more that everyone tries to get on the bus to go downtown at the same exact time," she said. "Everyone's pushing to ensure they can get on."

Snyder said safety is the biggest issue they are concerned with at the East Halls bus stop.

"What's happening up there is that folks are fighting amongst themselves to get on," Snyder said. Buses are being delayed by rowdy students, and some bus drivers have been threatened, she added.

"It's because of the age of the students boarding up there," Bernier said, adding that, at times, the situation has become so bad that University Police have been called to the scene to assist with crowd control.

"I've seen fighting and pushing to get on the bus, mostly because people just want to get where they're going," Eric Mattessich (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said.

On a regular basis, CATA places supervisors at the more crowded bus stops to help regulate the crowds and assist drivers with disorderly conduct. Road supervisors are also monitoring timeliness and capacity.

Bernier said CATA is aware that buses are fairly overcrowded and that it is working to improve the situation.