From staff reports
CATA buses in the area will run on a different schedule, starting Monday, Sept. 16.
The Franklin, Oil City and Intercity routes will change, according to Tim Geibel, CATA’s general manager.
“We’ve been looking at improving the routes for some time,” Geibel said. “We do a lot of research and gather input from all the stakeholders including drivers, riders, agencies, and businesses to try to make the best decisions before changes are implemented,” he said.
Franklin changes
The bus will not run from noon to 1 p.m. on Saturdays.
A request-only stop has been added at the Professional Building on Circle Drive in Rocky Grove.
Oil City changes
The bus will not run from 11:51 a.m. to 12:49 p.m. on Saturdays.
Stops will be added at the marina, Presbyterian Home, at the intersection of Park Avenue and Oak Road, and along Elm Street near City Hall.
Signs will be placed at all stops to aid riders.
Intercity Route changes
Rather than going one direction in the morning and going the other direction in the afternoon, the bus will reverse direction on each run.
The first run of the bus will go from Franklin to Oil City to Seneca to Franklin.
“With this change, CATA has been able to decrease the length of a round trip from an hour and a half to an hour and 15 minutes,” Geibel said.
The number of left/cross traffic turns has been reduced, making travel safer for passengers and vehicles, he said.
Stops have been at Aldi and at the corner of Pumphouse Road and Route 257.
Request-only stops have been added at the Reno post office, UPMC Imaging Center, PennDOT’s driver’s license center, Child Development Centers in Seneca, Fairweather Lodge and Turning Point.
Signs will be placed at all stops to aid riders in locating the closest bus stop.
Because of the shorter length of each Intercity run, the time the bus will be at each location has also changed, Geibel said.
New bus schedules for all routes can be found on the buses, at area chambers of commerce, at the Venango County Transportation Office and at The Pointe in Oil City. Information also is available at www.catabus.org.
