One of CATA’s longtime workhorses is starting a whole new chapter: instead of keeping our community moving, it's keeping our community safer.
After logging more than 335,000 miles around the Centre Region, a retired New Flyer XN40 has officially traded in its passenger‑carrying days for a new mission: helping train firefighters, rescue crews, and hazardous‑materials teams across Centre County.
CATA recently donated the bus, along with fire extinguishers, to the Centre County Public Safety Training Center. Before handing over the keys, our maintenance team carefully decommissioned the vehicle and safely drained its compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks so that it’s ready for hands‑on training.
And that training will support multiple efforts. Firefighters and emergency responders will use the bus for everything from vehicle rescue and patient extrication to hazardous‑materials practice and CNG system familiarization. Since more fleets in our region rely on alternative fuels--from public service fleets like CATA local trash collection to commercial fleets like UPS--having access to a real CNG bus gives responders a huge advantage when preparing for the kinds of incidents they could encounter in a real-life emergency.
Regional partners have been stepping up their preparedness, too. Through Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) funding and specialized programs like the Alternative Fueled Vehicles Level III Technician course, crews are getting classroom instruction in addition to meaningful hands‑on experience. And nothing beats learning on an actual full‑size transit bus.
This bus will serve as a long‑term training tool rather than being used in a one‑time exercise, so it’s going to help Centre County responders sharpen their skills for years to come.
At CATA, we’re proud to support the teams who look out for our community every day. Seeing one of our retired buses continue its service in such an important way feels like the perfect next chapter.
