About Us

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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.  Our entire organization met the challenges of the Pandemic head on.  Our status as an "Essential Service" was on full display.  At no time during the Pandemic did CATA shut down services or deny transportation to those that needed a ride.  Currently CATA is partnering with the Meadville Medical Center to provide FREE transportation to all those eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.  It is our position that no person in Crawford County be denied a vaccine due to lack of transportation.  Thanks to the continued support from the PA Department of Transportation, CATA has received critical Federal funding from the CARES Act to stabilize service and provide us the opportunity to meet the changing needs of our communities as the Pandemic continues.

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 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 50 vehicles. CATA uses 3 primary vehicle types in our operation. Our fleet is comprised of Heavy Duty Low Floor Mass Transit buses, 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.

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 was the only transit agency in Pennsylvania to receive funding from the competitive PA Department of Environmental Protection under the Alternative Fuel Incentive Grant.  This funding will allow CATA to up-fit vehicles from gasoline to Propane.  A Propane infrastructure contract for our Meadville facility was awarded to Sharp Energies in late 2020. A total of 14 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 30 bikes for public rental throughout the Meadville area.  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.  

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