As Penn State continues to grow, the pressure is on for Transportation Services to accommodate transportation and parking for students, staff, and visitors. The University is working to sustainably manage its growing transportation demands by switching to alternative fuels, reducing oil consumption, increasing the fuel efficiency of and electrifying fleet vehicles, and encouraging the use of active and public transportation.

Penn State’s University Park campus strives to be both pedestrian and bicyclist friendly. The University recently developed a Bicycle Master Plan that will promote bicycle commuting and expand on-campus mobility for students and employees. Visit the Transportation Services Biking page for information on bike registration, the Spin bike share program, and campus and community biking resources, such as the Bike Den – a free DIY bike repair and community space located at the West Deck.

Coming soon – faculty and staff at University Park will soon be able to rent electric Nissan Leafs from Fleet Services! Two have been purchased and charging infrastructure installed at Fleet Services with assistance from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s Alternative Fuels Incentive Grant (AFIG) Program. Many of University Park’s passenger and utility fleet vehicles operate on bio-diesel fuel, which helps reduce Penn State’s overall greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, biodiesel from soy oil results in an average emissions reduction of 57% when compared to traditional petroleum diesel. The Office of Physical Plant alone operates more than 130 bio-diesel vehicles, along with a host of electric vans, trucks, and segways. Efforts are underway to further reduce the environmental impact of Penn State vehicles through improvements in both fuel efficiency and fleet composition.

The Penn State community can get to, from, and around campus using bus, shuttle, and ride share options offered by Penn State Transportation Services and the Centre Area Transportation Authority (CATA).

• Campus bus and shuttle routes are available for free for all riders – CATA’s Blue Loop, White Loop, and Red Link, and Penn State’s Campus Shuttle. Download the Penn State Go app for real-time bus and shuttle location information.
• CATA’s RIDEpass program provides access to all CATABUS routes to eligible University Park graduate students, faculty and staff for only $23 per month. Transportation Services covers the remaining cost of each graduate student mass transit pass to encourage the use of mass transit, reduce vehicle congestion on campus, and promote sustainable transportation.
• CATACOMMUTE and Commute with Enterprise have partnered to support and continue vanpool options available for commuters in the greater State College area. This partnership supports and continues CATA’s commitment to a family of services that provide innovative and sustainable shared mobility options to residents and employees who travel to the Centre Region in Centre County from several surrounding counties.
• Most CATA buses use compressed natural gas, which produces fewer emissions than gasoline. Visit the CATA website for information on how they support sustainability.