More than 40,000 people on campus — all with different places to go and things to do — can make catching a CATA bus a difficult challenge.
And although there may be many bus choices to pick from, there is a strategy to catching each one at the right place and the right time.
Blake DeCarvalho (junior-biobehavioral health) said one of the best places to catch Centre Area Transportation Authority buses is the Pattee Transit Center on campus.
“They have the sign that lets you know when the bus is coming that keeps you updated,” he said.
DeCarvalho said that he often catches the Blue and White Loops on and around campus. He said the best places to catch the different loops are at places that don’t have dormitories near them, like the Intramural Building on Curtain Road.
He said one of the worst places to catch the loops were East Halls because of overcrowded buses.
When catching buses like the “V,” Vairo Boulevard or “VE,” Vairo Boulevard Express, Jill Pavlick (junior-communications, sciences and disorders) said it is best to get them at the Pattee Transit Center.
Pavlick said catching the bus at the Pattee Transit Center almost always assures a less crowded bus and one you can get a seat on.
“Catching the bus at College Avenue at Allen Street is usually the worst place because the bus is crowded,” she said. “By the time it gets downtown, there aren’t many seats left.”
Darrell Rean, Class of 2012, said he still catches the CATA bus even though he has graduated from Penn State.
He agreed with DeCarvalho and Pavlick, and said catching the bus at the Pattee Transit Center is best because of the different bus versions that are available.
Rean said one of the advantages of catching the bus at the Pattee Transit Center is the availability of express buses.
Places along Vairo Boulevard, such as stops like Vairo Village and Nittany Crossing, offer students a variety of places to catch the V and VE lines.
However, Anthony Montalbano (senior-aerospace engineering) said these stops can be difficult for students.
“Any stop on Vairo Boulevard after Vairo Village are always the worst spots,” he said. “There are too many people out there.”
