CATA Bus drivers truly are proof that not all heroes wear capes. They save our legs from cross-campus treks and deliver us to daylongs without complaint. If you ever look your CATA Bus driver in the eyes, you can just sense that they’ve been through hell and back. 

Still, there’s no denying that they are some unique characters. Here are some of the usual suspects. 

Overly Friendly

This CATA Bus driver already started to say ‘hello’ to you before you even stepped on the bus. His or her cheery demeanor is the one bright on an 8 a.m. White Loop full of zombies. Thank you, kind soul.

Ice Cold 

When you get on the bus, you can sense this driver staring straight through your soul. To them, you are no more than a tally on the bus occupancy tracker. You kind of get a ‘guy from Ratatouille who killed a man with his thumb’ vibe from this CATA Bus driver, but keep that out of your thoughts. They can definitely read minds. 

Rule Nazi

“IF YOU TAKE ONE MORE SIP OF WATER ON THIS GOD DAMN BUS I SWEAR I WILL LOSE IT” — this CATA driver.

Get on the bus and stay in line because this CATA driver won’t take any crap. He/she can hear the uncapping of water bottle lid from a mile away — can smell the mint Juul vape from delinquents in the back of the bus. Nothing gets by them. Nothing.

Rule Breaker

Contrary to the Rule Nazi, this CATA driver simply doesn’t care. The White Loop is packed with students beyond the yellow line? I won’t tell if you won’t. This driver is the real MVP for those of us on the fringe of getting on the bus every morning. 

Trivia Guy

Brush up on your Penn State history before you hop on the White Loop because you may encounter this popular trivia emcee.