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CATA provides mobility for all! Our services help eliminate Rural isolation, improve quality of life and help thousands of people stay connected to the everyday world!

 CATA maintains a strong commitment to our Core Principals of Integrity and Respect.  

The Crawford Area Transportation Authority has been a prominent fixture in Crawford County since 1979. Incorporated as a municipal transit authority, CATA offers a variety of services to ALL of Crawford and Venango Counties. Our services include fixed route bus service in the city of Meadville, Titusville, Saegertown, Franklin, Oil City and Seneca and door to door transportation throughout the two counties. So whether you live in Meadville and use CATA to get to work or you live in Polk and use CATA to attend activities at the senior center in Cranberry, CATA is for EVERYONE! CATA also maintains a contract as the public transportation provider for neighboring Clarion County to operate the shared ride and medical assistance transportation program for the Clarion County government.  This new contract went into effect in July 2024.
 
CATA benefits stretch throughout all of Crawford and Venango Counties. Even if you do not use our services, chances are a family member, a neighbor or someone you know does. Whether that person is one of the hundreds who rely on CATA for transportation to work, an elderly family member or neighbor who needs transportation to a doctor’s appointment, somebody riding CATA to shop at a local downtown business or a student from Allegheny College riding the bus to catch a movie, CATA is a positive influence in the community.

CATA is comprised by a fleet of over 90 vehicles. CATA uses 4 primary vehicle types in our operation. Our fleet is comprised of Heavy Duty Low Floor Mass Transit buses, Ford Transit vans, accessible mini-vans and body on chassis paratransit vehicles operating on Propane Autogas and unleaded gasoline. All vehicles are fully ADA compliant.

CATA supports local area businesses. CATA is committed to working locally with our neighbors. Each year CATA spends in excess of $1,500,000 purchasing products and services from over 50 Pennsylvania businesses.
 
CATA provides fixed route service at a lower cost per passenger than any other rural transit authority in Pennsylvania. Each year the PA Department of Transportation Bureau of Public Transportation releases statistics on all public transportation providers in the Commonwealth. CATA is proud to maintain the lowest operating expense per passenger among all rural fixed route providers. Click HERE to view the PennDOT Statistical reports.

CATA maintains a commitment to Strategic Planning.

Regional Cooperation for service delivery: CATA was awarded a contract for the Administration and Operations of the Clarion County Shared Ride program.  This contract has expanded CATA's reach to now include all of Clarion County and has resulted in ridership increases, better coordination in the region and a vastly improved presence in the community. 

Oil City Multimodal Project: The Oil City Multimodal facility opened in the Spring of 2021.  This facility, in partnership with Venango County and the PA Department of Transportation, provides a state of the art dispatch, storage, wash and maintenance facility to replace our current "job trailer" in Franklin.  
 
Propane Infrastructure: CATA has invested in alternative fuel infrastructure to support our shared ride and lifeline fixed route operations through 2 Propane autogas fueling stations in Meadville and Oil City with Sharp Energy.   A total of 27 Propane buses utilizing ROUSCH CLEANTECH technologies are now on the road reducing our fuel expenses by over 35%

Public BikeShare: CATA operates the only Rural public bikeshare program in Pennsylvania.  In partnership with KOLONI and with the support of local businesses, CATA maintains 40bikes for public rental throughout the Meadville area, Conneaut Lake, Maurice K. Goddard State Park and Titusville.  This is truly a step in the direction of mobility coordination and active transportation!  Look for more bikes in more communities as we advance this vision.

Climate Action Plan: CATA has adopted a Climate Action Plan to guide our decision making now and into the future as we do our part to ensure a sustainable planet.  From Compressed Natural Gas mass transit vehicles to propane paratransit vehicles to public BikeShare, we are focused on our commitment to sustainability.

 
In Rural Pennsylvania EVERY trip matters and at CATA and Venango County Transit, we are Partners in Transit serving our communities together.

 
Thank you for your support and interest in CATA!

Tim Geibel, Executive Director
CATA is proud to provide public transportation services for the communities within Crawford and Venango counties. CATA operates fixed route and door-to-door shared ride services with a fleet of over 50 ADA accessible vehicles providing over 1,000 passenger trips every day. Our dedicated team is committed to public service and operate under the Core Principals of Integrity and Respect.