CATA Fares To Increase Next Week

For the first time in eight years, the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) will be raising fares to help budget cost and prevent service loss, Market Manager Jacquelin Sheader said.

Starting Aug. 1, bus fares will rise from $1.25 to $1.50, monthly passes will go from $49 to $55 and token cost will increase to $1.50 each or $28 for a roll of 20. Fares for CATARide will rise from $1.50 to $2 for senior citizens and $2.50 to $3 for passengers eligible for paratransit services. General CATARide fare will rise from $10 to $13.35.

“Costs are going up and this will be helping us with our budget,” Sheader said. “We’re in a situation where we can keep all the services we have for the next semester. In the future, I’m not sure what that means.”

Sheader said a lack of federal and state funding mixed with inactivity on Act 44, which would put a toll on Interstate 80, has pushed the company to increase fares.

CATA did not receive much negative feedback from residents at a public hearing held in April.

“Overall we had a lot of people in support of [the increase],” she said. “There were some students asking us not to raise prices, but not as many as I expected.”

Sheader said CATA averages about 32,000 riders a day and about 7 million per year, making it the third-largest transportation authority in Pennsylvania behind Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Within the past year, the company has seen a 10-percent ridership increase.

Public events promoting the company have also made Sheader hopeful that after the rise is implemented, the unavoidable loss in ridership will be at a minimum. One of those events was the annual Dump the Pump Day in June, which had more than 2,000 new riders try out fare-free buses.

There is also the upcoming anniversary for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which CATA will be participating in by providing several events at its Downtown Pass Sales Office, located at 108 E. Beaver Ave.

There will be vehicle display beginning at 10 a.m. Monday to allow residents to check out company buses and vans or ask any questions they have. A book signing with local author Annie Harris will also be held at the downtown office from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“People have become more conscientious of the environment and of gas and costs,” Sheader said. “We’ve gotten a great response.”