The Centre Area Transportation Authority Board of Directors discussed expanding current CATA routes, including the R, RE, M, HP and W routes on Monday, L. Eric Bernier, service development manager for CATA, said.
The R and RE will be expanded in order to serve The Retreat, 322 W. College Ave., Bernier said. In addition, the RE will run directly from Waupelani Drive and the Pattee Transit Center, Bernier said.
Bernier said these changes will begin sometime in the coming fall, although the exact time is unknown.
The M route will also be expanded to serve The Villas at Happy Valley, 1335 Dreibelbis Rd., while the HP route will be expanded to serve The Grove, 880 Toftrees Ave., and the W route will now serve The Heights, 436 E. College Ave., Bernier said.
These expansions were met with opposition by community member Mike Shigley, of State College, who said “all the service changes are directly related to large apartment complexes…in addition to funding road repairs, complexes should buy new buses.”
The board did not have any response to Shigley’s statements.
Though some comments were critical, others had praise for the new routes.
Jolley Harris, of Bellefonte, said “the changes to the X route have been very good.”
The board also discussed the increase of riders this semester. CATA General Manager Hugh Mose said, “January of 2013 has been the highest in five years for the amount of riders.”
CATA vanpool use is up 34 percent and has earned $21,000, Mose said.
He also requested that the borough allow $297,000 be allotted to CATA for continuing projects.
In addition, the board discussed advertising on the exterior and interior of the buses. Jacqueline Sheader, marketing manager at CATA, said that CATA should not pursue large exterior ads on the front and back of the buses, and added that she recommended full bus ad wraps, as they are the most profitable.
