Bellefonte to Withdraw from CATA in 2025

Faced with steep increases in municipal contributions and significant service cuts , Bellefonte Borough will join two neighboring townships in withdrawing from the Centre Area Transportation Authority.

Borough Council voted 8-1 on Monday to exit CATA services effective June 30, 2025. Benner Township has also notified CATA it will withdraw at the same time, and Spring Township informed the authority this year that it would end service as of June 30, 2024.

"I know this is a terribly difficult decision because we’ve had public transportation here for decades, and to have it removed is a big shock to a lot of people," council member Deborah Cleeton said.

The Bellefonte-area municipalities each contract service with CATA and are required to give one year's notice of withdrawal.

"Having both Spring and Benner townships exiting the CATA services means that CATA will not pick up or drop off within the municipalities," Bellefonte Borough Manager Ralph Stewart said. "The CATA service delivery after July 1, 2024 will be even less convenient. Costs for the modified CATA services will increase about 2.5 times over the next couple of years."

CATA had been seeking significant municipal contribution increases from the three municipalities — ranging from four to 10 times their current rates — to close operating deficits for service in the area. The operating deficit for Bellefonte service last year was $222,000, and for all three combine it was $378,713.

The authority was established by, and has primary responsibility to, the Centre Region municipalities of State College Borough and College, Ferguson, Harris and Patton Townships. While it is allowed to contract with other municipalities for services, it is not legally permitted to run deficits for them, CATA Executive Director David Rishel said earlier this year.

The three Bellefonte area municipalities balked at the substantial increases, with Bellefonte pledging an additional $5,000 for its contribution in 2024-25 and Benner keeping funding flat. Stewart said on Monday that while grants are available for equipment costs, the borough has found none for operational costs that could be used to bridge the gap.

To maintain some service for Bellefonte and Benner, CATA is launching in July the new B-Line , which will offer only trips scheduled a day in advance by phone to 20 fixed locations for $4 per ride, cash only. Service will be available only from 7 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and 3-5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

It will replace the on-demand CATAGo, which previously replaced fixed-route bus service and which operates 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. weekdays and 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays for $2.20 per ride.

"It’s not that we don’t want CATA… but we can’t sustain 2.5 times the next couple years to keep this moving for Bellefonte," We need to have a better way, and the way CATA has it set up right now is the same thing they had since we started this discussion. It will be two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon.

Council member Joanne Tosti-Vasey was the sole no vote. She acknowledged that the upcoming B-Line service "stinks" but said even limited service is vital to residents who work in the State College area and do not drive. Some people, she said, will have to choose between losing their jobs or moving out of Bellefonte — a dilemma that has been raised by multiple residents during public hearings.

She added that CATA informed the borough that if it withdraws, it is unlikely Bellefonte will ever be permitted to rejoin.

"I am not willing to vote at this point unless we have at least a hint of a plan to move forward to get rid of CATA," Tosti-Vasey said.

Centre County offers free scheduled transportation for seniors and discounted rides for people with disabilities, but the cost for others is exorbitant and not feasible for people who need transportation to work on a regular basis, Tosti Vasey said.

Cleeton suggested that the Nittany Valley Joint Planning Region — Bellefonte Borough and Benner, Marion, Spring and Walker townships — could "collaborate to maybe come up with a separate system that can connect with CATA at the mall but provide public transportation needs to our little corner of the county."

Resident Sharon Weiser — who thanked borough staff and council for "working on behalf of residents like [her] amidst poor communication from CATA in the past couple of years" — suggested several possibilities, such as creation of a new independent transportation authority covering the entire county, encouraging entrepreneurs to develop a quasi-public transportation system and volunteer services provided by nonprofits and mutual help groups.

"Now is the time for those in need of public transportation and those who see those in need to get involved," Weiser said. "It starts with communication. We need to communicate our transportation needs without worry of embarrassment or shame."

Resident Nancy Knoll said as the county seat, it is critical that Bellefonte have public transportation because residents countywide need to be able to reach the courthouse and government offices.

"This is the county seat," Knoll said. "We not only have an obligation to people in Bellefonte to be able to come and go from Bellefonte, but we have an obligation to people all over the county to be able to get to Bellefonte, if not a legal obligation at least an ethical obligation that everyone should have access to the courthouse."

Knoll said she wasn't sure CATA was the way to accomplish that anymore and suggested that a task force be formed to explore options.

The task force idea was met favorably by Stewart and several council members.

"I do think the best idea at this point is to form some sort of a task force and try to work through this and see what we can come up with that’s a good solution to this, maybe better than what we have," council member Barbara Dann said.

Knoll, meanwhile, urged council not to let the issue fade away after Monday night.

"We’re going to solve this problem, and we're going to do it together," Knoll said. "...I just don’t want public transportation to become a dead issue after tonight."

The post Bellefonte to Withdraw from CATA in 2025 appeared first on StateCollege.com .