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. service level (about 3,120 annual hours at roughly $55.90 per contractor hour), CATA estimated roughly $174,000 in contractor costs. Using last year's subsidy proportions, Virgil said federal and state sources would cover about 62 percent (about $108,000), fares would bring in just under $23,000, and the remaining local share would be "just over $52,000" split between Bellefonte and Benner Township. Extending service to 8 p.m. would raise annual hours to about 3,600, increase total operating cost to roughly $203,000 and push the local requirement to about $61,000 before updated subsidy calculations, CATA said. Virgil emphasized that the figures are preliminary: "We put the numbers together fairly quickly ... they are preliminary and I think you'll find they don't add up. So they're in there just to give you a sense of proportion."

CATA recommended keeping the pick‑up‑point, reservation model rather than returning to on‑demand, door‑to‑door operation like Katago, citing efficiency. Virgil said the reservation approach lets the contractor "pack" trips and provide more rides per hour. He also said fares currently cover closer to 18 percent of operating costs (higher than the 13 percent projected last year), which reduces the local share once final accounting is complete.

Council members asked about the split between riders who used the service only inside Bellefonte versus those who traveled to transfer at the Nittany Mall. Virgil said he did not have precise percentages at the meeting but that early data showed many trips were commuter connections to the Nittany Mall; CATA committed to return with more specific ridership breakdowns before the council's next meeting.

CATA also presented a higher‑cost option: operating a fixed‑route circulator looping through Bellefonte. Doing that work with CATA-employed, union drivers would raise hourly operating costs to about $158 per hour, CATA said, making an estimated annual operating cost in the range of a half million dollars plus an additional paratransit obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Virgil said that ADA paratransit requirement could add at least another $75,000. "It would require at least a hundred and $30,000 from the borough to subsidize something like this," he said, and CATA's recommendation was to defer fixed‑route service until ridership is higher.

The presentation addressed service beyond the authority area. Virgil said CATA is chartered by five member municipalities in the Centre Region and cannot operate outside its service area without municipal permission or contract: "If you wanted those service those areas served, Spring Township would have to pass a resolution, giving us legal permission to operate there. And there would also be a financial match commitment that would go with that." He suggested that private destinations (for example, health centers or markets in Spring Township) might contribute funds to cover costs or to secure permission from the host township.

The CATA team also discussed the possibility of Bellefonte joining CATA as a member jurisdiction. Virgil said that has not been done before and that the first step would be to define desired services and commission an independent study so elected officials can determine what membership would entail before the CATA board and current member municipalities would consider approval.

Council members pressed for follow‑up figures and asked CATA to provide updated percentage subsidies and a ridership breakdown showing local versus regional trips. Virgil said CATA would provide those numbers and advised the council that if they wished to renew service they should pass a resolution promptly because CATA needs a decision in advance of final contracting for the upcoming budget year.

Ending: CATA left the council with a near‑term deadline for a contract decision and promised more detailed ridership and cost figures. The council did not take a formal vote on funding the Bee Line during the meeting.