Dr. John C. SpychalskiCATA Board Chairman

Louwana S. OlivaGeneral Manager

FY 2015/16ANNUAL REPORT

Centre Area Transportation Authority

A Message from theChairman and General ManagerEach year CATA strives to serve our community by delivering safe, reliable, accessible and affordable transportation services. To do this, CATA’s board of directors, through its general manager and staff, must work with various partners to make this goal a reality.

While the completion of this FY 2015/16 annual report gives us the opportunity to highlight our achievements, it also gives us the chance to thank the following partners, without whom we could not suceed: our local member municipalities who give us feedback on our service, offer local share funds to allow us to match and draw down funds from state and federal sources, and, of course, appoint our dedicated board members; those local municipalities who contract for services; the many apartment complexes that contract for bus passes for their tenants; and The Pennsylvania State University who contracts to offer fare-free LOOP and LINK routes serving the university campus and downtown State College. These allies make it possible for CATA to offer service to our community that has continued to make the State College region one of the most transit-intensive small communities in the nation.

We hope you will enjoy this report on our FY 2015/16 accomplishments. For information on plans for the coming year, please refer to CATA’s FY 2016/17 budget document, available at www.catabus.com. As we move forward we welcome your input and engagement on the services we offer.

Service AreaThe CATA service area includes the authority’s five member municipalities - State College Borough and College, Ferguson, Harris and Patton Townships - along with Bellefonte Borough and Benner, Halfmoon and Spring Townships, which contract with the authority for CATABUS and CATARIDE service.

Service Area: 89 square miles

Population: Approximately 104,000

CATA also serves the remainder of Centre County and approximately a dozen counties throughout Central Pennsylvania with its CATACOMMUTE program.

ServicesCATABUS is a fixed-route community bus system, consisting of twenty-three routes, connecting all participating municipalities with Downtown State College and the Penn State University Park Campus, complemented by four fare-free downtown/campus circulator LOOP and cross-campus LINK routes

CATARIDE is a dial-a-ride service primarily for persons age 65 and over and persons whose disabilities prevent their use of the CATABUS system. CATARIDE is operated under contract with a private vendor.

CATACOMMUTE is a family of transportation services that includes carpool matching, vanpools and the Emergency Ride Home program, all designed to meet the needs of long-distance commuters traveling into or out of the CATABUS service area.

CATA | FY 2015/16 Annual Report

CATA Mission StatementTo deliver safe, reliable, accessible and affordable transportation, provided in a courteous and environmentally, fiscally and socially responsible manner.

Customer CommitmentIt is our goal that every customer of CATA, whether they are a transit rider, an institutional partner, a member of the general public, or one of our own employees, is treated with care, respect, sensitivity and integrity, and we will do our best to be knowledgeable, professional and courteous in meeting their needs and requests.

CATA At-A-Glance

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John C. Spychalski, Chairman, Ferguson TownshipJoseph Davidson, Vice-Chairman, College Township

Richard Kipp, Treasurer, Harris TownshipTammy Gentzel, State College Borough

Wendy Pardee, Patton Township

CATA Board of Directors

CATA | FY 2015/16 Annual Report 03

FY 2015/16 Annual Ridership

Fleet InformationFixed Route: (CATABUS) - 71 buses

• 62 New Flyer, 30-39-passenger, low-floor, CNG-powered buses• 4 ElDorado, 26-passenger, low-floor, CNG-powered buses• 5 Ford Champion cut-a-way, lift-equipped, 24-passenger, CNG-powered buses

Paratransit: (CATARIDE) - 8 minibuses(operated through a contract with Ride Right LLC)

• 5 Ford, 12-passenger, lift-equipped minibuses• 2 Ford, 12-passenger, lift-equipped minibuses• 1 Ford, 9-passenger, lift-equipped minibus

Vanpools: (CATACOMMUTE) - 55 vans• 24 Ford, 11-14-passenger vans• 17 Chevrolet, 15-passenger vans • 10 Freightliner, 12-passenger vans• 4 GMC, 15-passenger vans

CATABUS Ridership: 7,055,328

Average Monthly Ridership – 587,994Average Weekday Ridership During the PSU School Year – 33,175Total Revenue Miles – 1,922,319Total Revenue Hours – 159,761

CATARIDE Ridership: 31,379

Persons Age 65 and Over – 15,169Persons with Disabilities (Under 65) – 15,998General Public/Other – 212

Total RideShare Participants (Year-End) – 2,806Active Carpoolers (Year-End) – 201

Vanpool ProgramTotal Vanpool Participants (Year-End) – 525Number of Active Vanpools (Year-End) – 41

Average Daily Riders (Year-End) – 322Total Vanpool Passenger Trips – 186,504Total Emergency Ride Home Trips – 48

CATA is the third largest transit agency by per capita ridership in Pennsylvania, behind only the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) in Philadelphia, the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAT) in Pittsburgh.

State College also holds the distinction of being one of the most transit-intensive small communities in the country, meaning that the people in the State College and surrounding areas take more transit trips per capita than almost any other small urban area in the nation.

Financials

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Total Operating Expenditures -$14,977,280

Total Overall Operating Revenues -$14,977,280

CATABUS Operating Expenditures -$13,834,575

CATABUS Operating Revenues -$13,834,575

Average Operating Expenditures and Revenues Per Passenger Trip: $1.98Operating Cost Recovery Ratio: 56.19%

Wages & Salaries

58%Benefits

24%

Operations7%

Maintenance6%

Administration5%

Passenger Revenues

52%

Federal Funding21%

State Funding19%

Local Funding4%

Other Revenues4%

Wages & Salaries

54%Benefits

23%

Operations12%

Maintenance6%

Administration5%

Passenger Revenues

51%

Federal Funding22%

State Funding19%

Local Funding4%

Other Revenues4%

CATACOMMUTE Operating Expenditures -$393,265

CATARIDE Operating Expenditures -$749,440

CATARIDE Operating Revenues -$749,440

CATACOMMUTE Operating Revenues -$393,265

Average Operating Expenditures and Revenues Per Passenger Trip: $18.93Operating Cost Recovery Ratio: 12.59%

Average Operating Expenditures and Revenues Per Passenger Trip: $1.96Operating Cost Recovery Ratio: 98.49%

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Passenger Revenues

13%

Federal Funding51%

State Funding33%

Local Funding3%

Passenger Revenues

97%

Federal Funding1%

Local Funding2%

Operations90%

Wages & Salaries

7% Benefits2%

Maintenance1%

Operations55%

Wages & Salaries

22%

Benefits8%

Maintenance11%

Administration4%

Passenger Revenues

51%

Federal Funding22%

State Funding19%

Local Funding4%

Other Revenues4%

Employees

Fulfillment of CATA’s mission is dependent upon CATA’s bus operators, maintenance staff and management team, who work together to provide the best public transportation service possible.

EmployeesBus Operators: 143 Maintenance: 21 Managerial/Supervisory: 23Administrative Support: 16

Total: 203

Employee Anniversaries

30 YearsTerry Waltz, Kent Wilson

25 YearsAnnette Filoromo-Beck

20 YearsKen Maney

Employee Retirements With More Than 15 Years of ServiceJim Ewing, operations supervisor, 16 yearsSteve Randall, bus operator, 21 years

15 Years Larry Bartges, Jessica Decker, Igor Gerasenko, Cheryl Hensal, Jacqueline Sheader

10 YearsJoe Baker, Bart Clevenstine, Fred Couch, Bill Hamer, Bob Hartzler, Rick McClellan, Lee Osman, Walter Russell, Ivan Vovchenko

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APTA 2015 General Manager of the Year Board Chairman John Spychalski

CATA’s board chairman, Dr. John Spychalski, was named the 2015 recipient of the prestigious American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member Award. Dr. Spychalski has been a member of the CATA board of directors since 1980 and chairman since 2002 as the appointed representative for Ferguson Township. Under John’s leadership as a board member, the authority’s many major accomplishments have included:

• The integration of the CATACOMMUTE program into CATA’s list of services, which provides for carpool and vanpool ridematching services and additional programs for long-distance commuters into the State College area; (continued)

Employee RecognitionOver the past year, two CATA employees were recognized for their dedication and service to both CATA and the transportation industry.

Donny Lynch, Systems Administrator PPTA Rising StarDonny Lynch was recognized with the Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association’s (PPTA) Rising Star Award, which is given in recognition of a member for their potential, effort and commitment to public transportation with having limited service or understanding of the industry. As CATA’s systems administrator for the past two years, Donny managed the coordination of the employee moves during our construction project to multiple locations, which required a high level of technical expertise (and he’ll do it again once construction is complete). Donny also migrated CATA’s on-site AVL solution to a cloud-based solution, modernized applicable hardware and software, replaced CATA’s aging telephone system, updated the buildings’ security systems, and much more.

Terri Quici, Commuter Services Manager PPTA Distinguished Service Award for Community ServiceCATA’s commuter services manager, Terri Quici, along with Stacy Bartels of the Delaware Valley Planning Commission and Lisa Kay Schweyer of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, were selected as recipients of the 2016 Pennsylvania Public Transportation Association (PPTA) Distinguished Service Award for Community Service for their work in rideshare projects at the state level. The award is presented in recognition of a completed or ongoing public transportation project/program that benefits all aspects of public transportation, community and future growth to the industry.

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• The conversion of CATA’s vehicle fleet to clean natural gas, which resulted in CATA being one of the first transit systems on the East Coast to have an active fleet powered entirely by CNG; • The implementation of a GPS-based technology program, which allowed for the integration of real-time bus arrival information, iPhone and Android apps, audible and visual stop annunciators and automated passenger counters; and, • The initiation in 2010 of a fleet replacement program that has since resulted in forty new New Flyer Xcelsior CNG buses being added to CATA’s active fleet, effectively reducing the average age of the fleet by half.

The Outstanding Public Transportation Board Member Award, the highest honor awarded to a transit board member in North America, is presented annually to the board member who is judged to have made the greatest contribution to their local transit system and the industry in general.

Year in Review

CATA and its staff have accomplished much over the past fiscal year. Some of the highlights include:

Facility ExpansionCATA is in the midst of a major facility renovation and expansion, resulting from the fact that it had previously outgrown its existing facility by more than 40 percent. The project is expected to be completed in 2018, and will be constructed in three phases. The first phase, built on the location of the previous administrative and operations offices, is a combination parking structure and operations facility. Phase two is being constructed in the former employee parking area and will house new state-of-the-art maintenance and parts inventory facilities on the first floor, and administrative offices and training spaces above. The third and final phase will remove the area that currently houses maintenance in the bus storage structure, and expand the facility to house up to 96 buses under roof.

The project is funded by a combination of state, federal and local funds. Pennsylvania’s newly-appointed Secretary of Transportation, Leslie Richards, paid a visit to CATA in October 2015 to view progress on the construction project.

Strategic PlanSeveral years of work on the part of the board, CATA staff and Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization staff, culminated in the board’s adoption of a new, ten-year strategic plan to replace one previously completed by an outside consultant in 2004. Groundwork for the planincluded a complete assessment of CATA’s current services, an inventory of services provided by other entities, a nation-wide peer review, surveys of riders and non-riders, and face-to-face meetings with members of numerous stakeholder groups to receive information on obstacles and opportunities and their impact on CATA. The board chose the following five core focus areas to drive board and staff planning and decision making over the next ten years:

1. Address growth prudently 2. Advance technologically 3. Plan for succession 4. Build financial reserves 5. Enhance the use of metrics

The entire document can be viewed at: http://catabus.com/AboutCATA/Budget/StrategicPlan/StrategicPlan.pdf.

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Expansion - Customer ServiceWith the facility construction project underway, and the demolition of CATA’s administration building on Whitehall Road, CATA took advantage of the opportunity to move all customer service functions to its customer service center located at 108 E. Beaver Avenue, on the lower level of the Schlow Library. The consolidation moved customer service functions such as pass and tokens sales, lost and found, and service information to downtown State College at one of CATA’s busiest transfer points. Consolidation of staff has also allowed CATA to expand hours on weekdays, and, for the first time in CATA’s history, to offer customer service hours on Saturdays.

State of Good Repair - FleetJust over five years ago, CATA’s average fleet age was thirteen years, more than twice the industry standard. The agency faced decisions on replacing large components on buses nearing 20 years of age. As a result, CATA aggressively pursued funds for fleet replacement, while trying to contain service and fleet growth. Over this time period CATA has replaced 45 buses in its 71-vehicle fleet, effectively increasing service reliability and reducing fleet maintenance costs.

A fleet plan was developed that will continue to focus on replacement of buses with a maximum age of 16 years, and slight continued growth to meet the needs of our growing community.

Successful Grant ApplicationsCATA was successful in obtaining two state grants last year, both of which will increase CATA’s ability to better serve its customers. With the first grant, CATA developed a travel training program to be used by agencies that serve older adults and persons with disabilities. CATA is now partnering with staff at the Centre Region Senior Center located at the Nittany Mall and Skills of Central PA, Inc. to test training materials in a real-world setting.

The concept behind the project is to move customers to the highest level of independence; transitioning an individual from door to door services to CATA’s line services gives the passenger more flexibility to travel when and where they want without advanced registration. Persons 65 and over are able to ride line service at no cost through the state’s lottery programs, and persons with disabilities can ride line service at a much reduced fare compared to the cost of paratransit services.

The second grant will allow CATA to purchase and test solar shelter and bus stop lighting along its busy Vairo Boulevard and Martin Street corridors. The demonstration project will assist CATA in determining the best styles of solar lighting for this purpose.

Exterior Bus Wrap Advertising ProgramFollowing the conclusion of a one-year trial exterior bus wrap advertising program, the board expanded the program to include up to 12 buses and made the addition permanent. Funds from the program assist CATA in maintaining service levels and contributed roughly $100,000 to the overall budget last year. Advertisers included local and national clients.

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Stop Improvement ProjectCATA, the Borough of State College, and A.W. & Sons have partnered on a project to expand and enhance the bus stop on Beaver Avenue at Beaver Hill Apartments (Stop #565).

The first phase of the project began and was completed in the fall of 2015 with the removal of some trees, the construction of a 176-square foot expanded waiting area between the existing sidewalk and the building, and the installation of benches and a trash receptacle.

The second phase of the project will add a shelter with an integrated bench and detailed stop departure information.

Once completed, the new stop location, depicted below, will provide passengers with a larger, safer and more comfortable area to wait for the bus, outside of the pedestrian flow along the sidewalk and traffic flow entering and exiting Beaver Hill.

Point of Sale (POS) UpgradeOver the past year, staff procured hardware that will allow for the installation of a point of sale (POS) payment processing system at CATA’s customerservice center.

The inclusion of a POS system will provide benefits and efficiencies to both CATA staff and to customers purchasing fare media at the customer service center. Internally, the system will link to CATA’s back-end accounting program, facilitating the replacement of antiquated hand-written reports with more efficient automated ones and an enhanced inventory handling.

For the customer, the payment purchasing system will provide the added credit security of EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) chip readers during the payment process, will provide additional visual verification of sales prices, and will allow for payments on accounts, like those held by vanpool program participants.

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Electronic SignageStaff completed a pilot project this year through which electronic route and real-time schedule information was provided to the public via a kiosk inside the main entrance of the Nittany Mall. Through a partnership with the mall, which provided space and electricity, and with Garfield’s Restaurant, which provided free wi-fi, the kiosk sits inside the entrance that leads to the Nittany Mall bus stop, accessible to those waiting for the bus. Based on the experience, additional signs were configured and deployed at The Grove apartment complex and at Foxdale Village.

Displays at the Pattee Transit Center were retrofitted this year with new parts, and all three of the older LCD signs located at the customer service center were replaced with newer, larger, more modern signs.

Fourth Annual “In Transit” Photo ContestFor the fourth year, CATA invited passengers and members of the community to submit photos that illustrate CATA’s contribution to the community through its “In Transit” photo contest. More than 90 entries were received and were narrowed to three finalists, with online voting determining the grand prize winner to be Rusty Glessner (photo, below). As part of his award, Mr. Glessner’s photo is featured on the cover of the Fall 2016 Ride Guide.

Apartment Pass Program ExpansionCATA currently holds contracts with twenty-one apartment complexes, through which the complexes purchase route-specific transportation service on a per ride basis for tenants as a rental incentive. This past year, the program was expanded to include the Heights, a 180-bedroom complex on the W (Valley Vista) and WE (Havershire Boulevard Express) Routes. Not only did this expansion provide service for residents of the complex, it also added substantial CATABUS service to neighboring communities.

Additionally this year, CATA staff worked with Vairo Village to accommodate a purchase of the neighboring Pennwood North apartment complex, effectively adding that property into the overall apartment complex program.

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Google Trip Planner EnhancementThis year, adjustments were made to the schedule information provided by CATA to Google Transit, and thus to CATA’s Google Trip Planner, which is embedded in the myStop mobile app and available at realtime.catabus.com. As a result, real-time schedule information is now displayed as part of any search result. This enhancement allows for anyone using Google Trip Planner to not only see which routes to take to reach their destinations and the complementary printed schedule information, but to also see in real-time when a bus is anticipated to arrive at a given stop, and whether it is on-time or running behind schedule.

Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA)2081 W. Whitehall Road, State College, PA 16801(814) 238-CATA(2282) / (814) 238-7643 (fax)www.catabus.com / realtime.catabus.com