Starting in July, Bellefonte will offer residents public transit services through Centre County Transportation, which is run by the county government. It's a door-to-door service, and provides free rides for seniors 60 and over, and reduced cost rides for people with disabilities.
Bellefonte Borough council voted unanimously Monday night to end CATA services on July 1 and move to Centre County Transportation as its replacement. As of July 1, all Bellefonte residents can reserve reduced cost rides to work, stores and medical appointments anywhere in the county through Centre County Transportation.
Joanne Tosti-Vasey, a Bellefonte borough council member, said they're still working out some of the details, like the times buses will be available and the cost for residents.
"For people with disabilities, their current cost is $4.25 each way, cash only. And what I think we're settling on … We haven't finalized this yet, is $5 one way for all other types of passengers," Tosti-Vasey said.
Tosti-Vasey said the borough will subsidize the rest of the cost, which would leave the borough paying an average of $20 per ride.
The Bellefonte Borough council is replacing CATA because of rising costs.
"We were with CATA for 50 years," Tosti-Vasey said. "This was a hard decision to make because we had the long term relationship. But considering the cost and the concerns that we had for people, particularly people who need to get to work, we felt that this alternative was a better option."
Tosti-Vasey said they aren't sure yet how much this change will cost the borough in total, but she thinks it will be cheaper than CATA. Plus, she said riders can make reservations further in advance with Centre County Transportation.
"Depending on which type of person you are and what you're doing, you could do it up to nine months in advance," Tosti-Vasey said.
Council members say this likely isn't a long-term solution.
"If this becomes very popular, Centre County Transportation may not have the capacity to provide the full services that we need," Tosti-Vasey said. "So what we want to do is create what is called a transportation development plan."
Tosti-Vasey said the borough will have to get a grant to do a needs assessment and find recommendations for a long-term plan.