As bus doors close, another door opens.

A retired Centre County CATA transit bus that once transported passengers throughout the community is being donated to the Centre County Public Safety Training Center to help train firefighters, rescue personnel, and hazardous materials responders.

The New Flyer XN40, named Fleet No. 4, began its service on March 16, 2012, and was retired in December 2024 after accumulating 335,859 miles.

“This bus served our community for more than a decade, and we’re proud that it will continue serving in a new capacity by helping first responders train for a range of emergency scenarios,” said CATA CEO Todd Horsley.

The bus will support hands-on training exercises, such as vehicle rescue, patient extrication, hazardous materials response, and compressed natural gas (CNG) system familiarization. Emergency response training is conducted by the Centre Region Council of Governments (COG) Fire Protection Program and regional hazardous materials teams.

Emergency response agencies across the region are continuing to expand their preparedness for incidents involving CNG and other alternative-fuel vehicles. The donated bus was safely decommissioned and had its CNG fuel tanks drained before being used for training.

“Alternative-fuel technologies are becoming more common in public transit, as well as commercial fleets, so it’s essential that first responders have access to realistic training environments. We’re very proud that CATA is able to contribute to regional public safety efforts in this way,” said Horsely in a press release.

A particular program, the Alternative Fueled Vehicles Level III Technician course, will utilize the bus alongside classroom instruction to provide valuable experience on vehicle familiarization, fuel system neutralization, and defueling procedures.

“We can study photos and videos, but nothing replaces hands-on experience,” said Assistant Chief Rob Nese of the Centre Region COG Fire Protection Program. “Having access to an authentic CNG-powered transit bus allows first responders to learn how these vehicles are constructed, identify potential hazards, and gain experience working with the systems they may encounter in the field.”

The bus will also aid in annual Rescue Academy training, company-wide training events, and future educational opportunities.