It's a smooth, quiet ride with regulars who are on a first-name basis with the driver. And despite the Christmas music playing over the radio far too early in the season, it has a lovely atmosphere for travelling. I'm talking, of course, about the little-known campus shuttle.
Don't have $1.50 in exact change each way? You might not need it soon—we may soon see payment options on CATA buses that accept LionCash.
Got an iPad? Check out these apps that can make your classwork easier and more efficient.
Everyone knows the routine: the weekend rolls around, and now that Happy Valley is blanketed in ice and snow from the "ablogable snowstorm," many on-campus students, especially freshman in East Halls, take advantage of UPUA's White Loop extension.
For anyone who has never had the fortune of riding it, to say that the crowds get a little rambunctious would be putting it mildly. But hope is not lost! Here are a few tips, try to keep them in mind as you embark on your White Loop journey this weekend. Trust me, it will make it easier for everyone involved.
CATA announced on Monday that they were exploring the possibility of expanding its fare-free routes beyond the traditional Loops and Links. The general idea would be that on routes that traditionally service student apartment complexes (Vairo Blvd, Aaron Drive, Waupelani), where bus passes are paid by the apartment complexes, would become fare-free with a Penn State ID card. The cost of this would be picked up by the University. CATA plans to use a $100,000 federal grant to conduct the survey.
My question is, why is CATA trying to mess with a system that, in general works? The fare based routes (according to CATA's own end-year report) account for only about 40% of the ridership on the system, and seem to work decently well on the whole.
About a year after CATA dropped its iPhone app on the smartphone-toting masses, it finally decided to let the worshipers of the little green robot in on the fun. On Friday, the official CATA app appeared in the Android market, letting users check to see where their buses are.