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CATA reports ridership gains and names incoming CEO; 'tap-to-pay' boarding set for November
Summary
Center Area Transportation Authority leaders reported ridership and on-time performance gains following a route redesign, described bus-stop accessibility and fare-collection upgrades, and introduced incoming CEO Todd Horsley, who outlined near-term priorities including a new strategic plan, operator recruitment and potential on‑demand airport/Amtrak services. 'Tap and ride' card payment is expected in November and will apply system-wide.
Representatives of the Center Area Transportation Authority (CATA) briefed Ferguson Township supervisors on operations, finances and leadership transitions during the Oct. 20 board meeting.
Dave Rischel summarized recent operational changes including a redesign of demand-response and route structures (RAS) that he said led to ridership increases (roughly 10% overall, with some routes higher), improved on-time performance and reduced complaints. Rischel described a bus-stop improvement program, a PennDOT-contracted inventory of stops, expansion of the Catego microtransit area, and a new fare collection platform (Token Transit) rolled out this year. He said contactless credit-card "tap-to-pay" on boarding is expected in November and will be available across all services including game‑day shuttles.
Rischel introduced incoming CEO Todd Horsley, who outlined his background in regional transit and his immediate priorities: develop a new CATA strategic plan (last updated in 2016), focus on operator recruitment and retention, implement a bus-stop accessibility prioritization (phase 2), and evaluate pilot on‑demand services to the regional airport and Amtrak stations. Horsley also described an internal innovation program (Catanex) to surface employee ideas for service improvements.
Supervisors asked clarifying questions about driver hiring (Horsley said additional drivers would provide backup and capacity for future service changes) and the local match formula for municipal contributions; CATA staff said changes to match formulas were modest and will be reported in upcoming budget discussions. Horsley and Rischel said CATA aims to keep working with member municipalities on stop improvements and future budget presentations.
What’s next: CATA will return to deliver a budget presentation in spring that will include bus-stop priorities and any local service requests for Ferguson Township.
