UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Transportation Services is rolling out a series of updates ahead of the fall 2026 semester, including shuttle route changes, an expanded hospital transportation option, new Lyft ride credits, a parking transition at Innovation Park, and broader access to RIDEpass for graduate students.

Citing consistently low ridership and the availability of new transportation options, Transportation Services will discontinue Campus Shuttle via Beaver Avenue service to Innovation Park, Mount Nittany Medical Center and Centre Medical Sciences after Friday, Aug. 14.

The route will continue to serve the University Park campus and expand service to weekend hours, starting Saturday, Aug. 22. Shuttles will run every 40 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with a break in service between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.

Updated schedules and route details are available on the Transportation Services Buses and Shuttles webpage.

On July 1, CATA launched a new Demand Response Hospital service connecting riders to Mount Nittany Medical Center. The service runs 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and provides advance-scheduled rides for eligible riders traveling to medical appointments. Trips can be booked up to 14 days ahead and must be reserved by 5 p.m. the day before travel.

One-way fares are $2.50, matching the standard CATA fare. Penn State faculty, staff and students can ride at no cost for trips starting or ending on campus, provided they call to schedule by 5 p.m. the day before.

Service is limited to a designated area; riders should check the Demand Response Hospital service area map before booking. To schedule hospital transportation, call 814-238-6100. For medical emergencies, call 911.

Transportation Services is restructuring its Innovation Park/Medical Center Lyft Program into two distinct offerings.

The new Medical Center Lyft Program supplements CATAGO! service, giving eligible University Park students and full-time faculty and staff up to four $20 Lyft ride credits per semester for trips between campus, Mount Nittany Medical Center, and Innovation Park. Credits are valid daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., except on home football game Saturdays.

Faculty, staff and students who need transportation between campus and Innovation Park for work purposes can submit a request to Transportation Services; Lyft credits or other options will be provided based on individual needs.

Details on eligibility and enrollment for both programs are available on the Transportation Services Lyft Programs webpage.

Penn State's parking program at Innovation Park will end Aug. 31. Employees who primarily work at Innovation Park and don't need parking elsewhere on campus can return their Penn State permit by contacting their department parking chair or emailing parking@psu.edu.

Employees in affected buildings will receive updated parking information directly from Innovation Park management. Departments that previously arranged special event parking through Transportation Services at these locations should now coordinate directly with Innovation Park management.

RIDEpass, which offers faculty, staff and graduate students reduced-price access to all CATABUS routes, is expanding eligibility. Participants must be employed in a standing, fixed-term I, fixed-term multi-year, or post-doctoral position at University Park, or enrolled as a graduate, law or medical student with University Park as their primary campus.

Starting with the new program year, location-based eligibility requirements will be eliminated — opening enrollment to all eligible graduate students, including those living on campus, downtown, or in off-campus apartments. Graduate students will no longer need to apply or verify their address and can purchase a pass directly through the RIDEpass webpage.

Faculty and staff will continue to register in person at the Transportation Services Office in the Eisenhower Parking Deck, open 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Like graduate students, they will no longer need to complete an application or verify their address.

RIDEpass costs $24 per month for the 2026–27 program year.

• Eisenhower Deck has shifted to 24/7 hourly visitor parking using license plate recognition and Penn State ID access for permit holders, operating like other campus decks. With these changes, the HONK and Tempo Daily Parking Reservation zones at the deck have been deactivated.
• Yellow F2 surface lot (north of Eisenhower Deck) — this lot will no longer serve as regular permit parking and will instead be repurposed for ADA-accessible and service parking.
• New Yellow S3 surface lot (west of Eisenhower Deck) — the former Eisenhower Visitor Lot has been redesignated as a section of Yellow S faculty/staff parking with the addition of all-day hourly visitor parking at Eisenhower Deck. The lot will be redesigned this fall to provide additional parking spaces and configured to support access to Tempo Daily Parking Reservations.
• New Red A lots (near Railroad Ave) — offer reserved parking 24/7. Red A permits apply 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday–Friday; faculty/staff and student permits are valid 4 p.m.–7:30 a.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends.
• New Red E lot (north of Stream Drive) — also offers reserved parking 24/7. Red E permits apply 7:30 a.m.–4 p.m., Monday–Friday; faculty/staff and student permits are valid 4 p.m.–7:30 a.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends.