Bellefonte Borough will withdraw from CATA services starting next year. What’s next?
After months of discussions about the future of public transportation services in the Bellefonte area, the Bellefonte Borough Council voted Monday night to withdraw from CATA next year.
The resolution passed by a vote of 8-1, with Joanne Tosti-Vasey being the lone vote against.
Discussions about the future of CATA in Bellefonte Borough and Benner and Spring townships have been ongoing for months, with CATA saying the municipalities have been operating at a significant deficit and must increase contributions to keep service at the current level. Spring Township was the first to discontinue its relationship with CATA, and with Bellefonte’s vote, all three have now signaled they’ll cut ties with the service.
Because traditional transit services were deemed too costly to continue, the Bellefonte/Benner B-Line program is set to take effect in Bellefonte Borough and Benner Township on July 1. The service offers residents of Bellefonte Borough and Benner Township the opportunity to schedule a ride from one of 20 pickup points to the Nittany Mall, where they then have to link up with an existing CATA route to get to their respective destination.
The service runs for only two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening.
Tosti-Vasey said the new service is less than ideal, but at this point remains the only option that’s financially feasible.
“This is a really hard decision,” Tosti-Vasey said. “My first statement though is that the proposed services from CATA — excuse my language — stink. However, what limited services we have between Bellefonte and State College are critical to our working citizens who do not drive.”
The borough was notified on May 9 of Benner Township’s withdraw from CATA services effective next June, which means CATA would not pick up or drop off in Spring and Benner townships. The fees for the services will also rise about 2.5 times over the next couple of years, according to the meeting agenda.
The B-Line will be in effect through June 30, 2025.
Residents have been outspoken about CATA cuts in the area and two residents spoke during Monday’s meeting and encouraged council members to search for alternatives.
“I came here tonight prepared to beg you to continue some sort of CATA service in Bellefonte — now I’m not so sure if that’s what I want to do,” Nancy Knoll said. “We need public transportation in Bellefonte, but I don’t know if CATA is the right way to do it.”
Knoll then brought up the idea of a task force to pursue possible public transportation options in Bellefonte — an option that Tosti-Vasey was also on board with.
The task force would be in charge of exploring various ideas that could keep public transportation in the area, as well as allow public transportation from other areas in the county to have transportation here for work, given that Bellefonte is the county’s seat, and that all Centre County local government is located there.
