A new way to get around: Here’s what to know about CATA’s new ride-share service in Bellefonte
Wanting to maximize “limited resources” while supporting Centre County residents and their travel needs, CATA is set to launch CATAGo! — a micro-transit van service — this weekend.
The shared-ride, on-demand transportation pilot program will service Bellefonte — from the correctional facility on Benner Pike to Weis Market. Launching on Saturday, passengers will be able to request same-day service through the app TransLoc, the CATA website or by calling CATA in order to travel around Bellefonte, parts of Spring and Benner townships and State College.
First introduced in August, CATA is participating in the program with 39 other cities across the United States through the transportation company TransLoc. The “micro-transit” resembles the services offered by Lyft and Uber.
“CATA has limited resources, and we want to use them in a way that is supportive of the entire CATA system and also gives the passenger the best experience we can afford to offer,” CATA General Manager Louwana Oliva said. “Through the pilot, we are hoping to understand if there is a better way to serve smaller communities with service that isn’t fixed route, using a 40-foot bus.”
In August, Oliva said Bellefonte residents vocalized a need to reach medical care and medical services. The pilot program will allow up to seven passengers to use the vans and travel to three anchor points that link the fixed service routes — the Walmart on Benner Pike, Mount Nittany Medical Center and Penn State parking lots that link to the Blue Loop and Red Line.
“Our data shows that Bellefonte residents are using our service to move around the Bellefonte area as often as they are to reach areas around the university,” Oliva said. “With fixed route service, that may only come every couple of hours during certain periods of the day.”
The service will operate for six to nine months and run Monday-Friday from 6 a.m.-11 p.m. and Saturdays from 6 a.m.-7 p.m. The vans include a bike rack and are ADA and wheelchair accessible. General fare is $2 per one-way trip, the same as CATA bus fare. Senior citizens with a senior transit ID card and children under 40 inches ride free. Individuals with a valid United States Medicare card or CATA reduced fare card ride at a cost of $1 per trip.
CATA is also considering changes to the XG (Pleasant Gap-Bellefonte-State College) and XB (Bellefonte-State College) routes, based on a study of passenger behavior, Oliva said. Though no changes have been made yet, CATAGo! will help the transportation service gather additional data on future alterations.
The program could enter its second phase in August, where fixed route service on the XG and XB will most likely be pulled back. If CATA finds the pilot program to be an effective and efficient way to serve the Bellefonte area, Oliva said CATA could move its larger buses to areas where passenger loads are heavier.
“By doing this pilot in ... phases, we can better understand the impact on the customer in designing a new way to serve the area, connecting the two types of service with what we hope will be little impact on the customer,” Oliva said.
An official ribbon cutting ceremony will be held Jan. 28 at 10 a.m. at the Match Factory in Bellefonte to commemorate the program launch.
