“When I say ruining everybody’s lives it’s not an exaggeration,” said Bellefonte resident Frances Wolfgang. “It’s going to hurt a lot of people, you’re limiting people, people who work at Weis, people who work at Walmart, people who work at GIANT, like what are we going to do?” she continued.
The Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA) held a public meeting in January about the future of their services in the Bellefonte area, where residents voiced their concerns. After hearing from the public, Bellefonte Borough and Benner Township worked with CATA to create the Bellefonte/Benner B-line, which will only operate on weekdays for five hours daily.
“I think it’s going to affect a lot of people, I’ve been to several of the meetings, and a lot of people have, unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be getting us anywhere.,”
The main service in the Bellefonte area was CATA Go, which would pick up and drop off residents anywhere within the service area for just over two dollars a trip.
Unlike CATA Go, the limited number of B-line vans will only operate from 7-9:30 a.m. and 3-5:30 p.m. That’s not the only difference and according to CATA it will also cost users nearly double the price.
“That is handicapping everybody, and they’re not going to accept passes, they’re not going to accept tokens, they’re not going to run even on Saturdays, and it’s cash only and one way is $4, I use the pass, my boyfriend uses the pass, we both work at GIANT, he lives in Pleasant Gap, he’s gotta move here because Spring Township is totally out,”
CATA says they will host a public meeting about the new B-line service on Wednesday, April 24 at 5:30 p.m. in the Armory Building in Bellefonte.
