CATA outlines options to maintain Bee Line service for Bellefonte and Benner Township

CATA representatives told the Bellefonte Borough Council at a Feb. 15 work session that the agency can continue operating the Bee Line point‑to‑point service through June and outlined options — from the current all‑day single‑vehicle schedule to an expanded evening schedule or a full fixed‑route circulator — along with preliminary cost estimates and legal limits on service outside CATA's authority.

The discussion matters because the borough has given CATA notice it may end the contract in June, and the Bee Line provides local connections plus free transfers to CATA's regional buses at the Nittany Mall.

Dave Virgil, a CATA representative, said the Bee Line is a small‑vehicle, fully accessible, point‑to‑point service that uses 20 designated pick‑up/drop‑off points in Bellefonte and Benner Township. "This is an example of the pick up points that we established," Virgil said, adding that the design asks riders to walk to one of those points and reserve trips by phone (reservations available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. the day before). The service currently operates roughly 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on one vehicle and has carried nearly 2,000 rides since July, Virgil said. "The fare for this service again is $4 for passengers," he said.

CATA presented three basic scenarios and preliminary cost math. At the current 6 a.m.–6 p.m.…