Every Penn State Student has experienced the CATA bus. Truth be told I find humor in the crowds of people ready to hunger games it out to be the first one to grab a seat. No one likes being last in line and having to stand the whole ride next to some guy’s stinky armpit. Definitely doesn’t help when you’re 5ft 2in and can’t even reach the top bar of the bus, so you’re flailing around every time the bus makes a turn or makes a hard stop.
My issue with the busses this year is that Penn State just recently added a few new dorm buildings to campus. Now that’s at least a couple hundred more people on campus, and with the increase of people the busses this year have become chaotic. If you’ve been on one of our loops, especially the blue loop during the busy school hours, you’re familiar with the bus drivers screaming at students to move to the far end of the bus and continue walking back there until your hugging the guy next to you. First off, it’s really gross since fall semester is the sick season and everyone is either sneezing, coughing, or carrying some type of virus you don’t want to catch. But low and behold here’s a possible infected person breathing on your neck because the last 10 people needed to fit onto the bus too.
Don’t get me started on when the first stop comes. Since everyone on the bus is packed like sardines in a can, no one is able to get out at their stop. We have book bags and people of various sizes blocking the way to the exit, and those people who end up near the door can’t get out of the way either. If they step off the bus to let someone out the driver forces them to get in the back of the line to re-enter the bus. Imagine a hoard of 20 some people waiting to get on the bus, you do not want to leave your spot for any reason.
The university needs to look into the CATA bus situation as soon as possible. They want to expand and allow more students to study here but their transportation options are inefficient. I personally would like to see a few more buses added to the loops, maybe just during the busiest class hours. The difference it makes when waiting for a bus can determine if you make it to class on time. If I’m paying thousands of dollars to get an education here, I’d like to make it to my class with no issues.
