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CATA (Lansing, MI)


ieko

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CATA's new Novas are out in force. They don't feel quite right without any colors, but that's (relatively) easy to amend. Fingers crossed for a bold new paint scheme that embraces these sharp vehicles.

I rode 713 on Route 1 on Saturday morning. Extremely customer-friendly from the first step aboard: smooth and quiet ride, wide-open interior, tons of natural light, great visibility in all directions, low-shag seat fabric that feels clean without being cold or institutional. I can nitpick a few things I may have spec'ed differently, but on the whole, it's safe to say that CATA nailed it with the specs.

Here's a few pics -- hopefully the first of more to come:

CAL0708M.thumb.JPG.ae138a592cfff897ccdb46fbda717eec.JPG

CAL0711R.thumb.JPG.308d03a66c7d3f4890e1f5c4a2e99de9.JPG

CAL6013A.thumb.JPG.b8f9f7caff94d60cbf0b3d70e77ac9dd.JPG

 

Thanks to the Board, I learned that Ann Arbor is Nova's next venture into Michigan (I confirmed it with a contact at TheRide). Spec-wise, I hope Ann Arbor takes cues from CATA.

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  • 1 month later...
On 11/3/2019 at 2:45 PM, Border City Transit said:

CATA's new Novas are out in force. They don't feel quite right without any colors, but that's (relatively) easy to amend. Fingers crossed for a bold new paint scheme that embraces these sharp vehicles.

I rode 713 on Route 1 on Saturday morning. Extremely customer-friendly from the first step aboard: smooth and quiet ride, wide-open interior, tons of natural light, great visibility in all directions, low-shag seat fabric that feels clean without being cold or institutional. I can nitpick a few things I may have spec'ed differently, but on the whole, it's safe to say that CATA nailed it with the specs.

Here's a few pics -- hopefully the first of more to come:

CAL0708M.thumb.JPG.ae138a592cfff897ccdb46fbda717eec.JPG

CAL0711R.thumb.JPG.308d03a66c7d3f4890e1f5c4a2e99de9.JPG

CAL6013A.thumb.JPG.b8f9f7caff94d60cbf0b3d70e77ac9dd.JPG

 

Thanks to the Board, I learned that Ann Arbor is Nova's next venture into Michigan (I confirmed it with a contact at TheRide). Spec-wise, I hope Ann Arbor takes cues from CATA.

Not that I know much about Nova buses (Michigan is Gillig Central after all) but I hope the LFS’s are put together better than the other junk that comes out of Plattsburgh... yikes. 

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  • 1 year later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 8/19/2021 at 6:30 PM, ns8401 said:

CATA has apparently purchased a Gillig of all things… saw a 635 rolling around in some sort of green wrap yesterday.

Saw that too a couple days ago. Apparently they are not the very new model and I definitely didn't see them before 2017. 

According to cptdb's wiki site, they were purchased from Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA). I took the pics from the 3rd level of the parking deck next to the CATA's transfer center in MSU campus. You can see that the fleet numbers on the roof are still COTA's.

 

IMG_9384.jpg

IMG_9408.jpg

IMG_9393.jpg

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Visited MSU campus this Monday. I was surprised the campus' transit hub was full of Nova already. Well.. I guess that's exciting to see transit agency of this size buying a lot of 40' and 60' that are neither NFI nor Gillig anyway.

IMG_9365.thumb.jpg.21d842e97f7337e55de01069b5d4ab7c.jpg 51416882322_30108c4195_5k.jpg 51417887708_f339cb5127_5k.jpg

NOVA LFS on Route 30, 31, 32, and 33

51416882572_03f94ed2d6_5k.jpg

51418389884_2dd6f0ff37_5k.jpg

51418610850_963dbd08b3_5k.jpg

51418888603_f022309304_5k.jpg

51418389999_ebd21b0b65_5k.jpg

51417887728_48405842a1_5k.jpg

NOVA LFS Artic on Route 30

51417887678_94d4b5025e_5k.jpg

Another NOVA on route 30 with a green display screen. Not sure why they use the different type of LED screen.

51418610810_dd70967ee8_5k.jpg

NOVA LFS Artic on Route 31

51417629176_4dced6a6ef_5k.jpg

I guess all the NFI D40LF/D60LF are out of service.

During the stay, I only saw one on Route 26 but the paint was a little bit different from the CATA's original D40LF. It turns out it was also purchased from COTA.

51418390084_35d838fb35_5k.jpg

 

Other NFI that have been there for the last 10ish years.

NFI DE40LFR/DE60LFR

51416882632_6d6db1ca35_5k.jpg

51416882227_5c2c948005_5k.jpg

 

XDE40. I believe the second one with white LED board started showing up around the summer of 2016

51417887393_8a8380502d_5k.jpg

51418610700_31ddbd7e5a_5k.jpg

 

I also feel like the new paint of CATA's NOVA buses is missing some element. When I saw pic of the first delivered bus, I thought it was only for prototype lol.

 

Feel free to check more at my Flickr Album:  Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA)

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  • 3 months later...
On 9/2/2021 at 12:33 AM, LDCY said:

Visited MSU campus this Monday. I was surprised the campus' transit hub was full of Nova already. Well.. I guess that's exciting to see transit agency of this size buying a lot of 40' and 60' that are neither NFI nor Gillig anyway.

IMG_9365.thumb.jpg.21d842e97f7337e55de01069b5d4ab7c.jpg 51416882322_30108c4195_5k.jpg 51417887708_f339cb5127_5k.jpg

NOVA LFS on Route 30, 31, 32, and 33

51416882572_03f94ed2d6_5k.jpg

51418389884_2dd6f0ff37_5k.jpg

51418610850_963dbd08b3_5k.jpg

51418888603_f022309304_5k.jpg

51418389999_ebd21b0b65_5k.jpg

51417887728_48405842a1_5k.jpg

NOVA LFS Artic on Route 30

51417887678_94d4b5025e_5k.jpg

Another NOVA on route 30 with a green display screen. Not sure why they use the different type of LED screen.

51418610810_dd70967ee8_5k.jpg

NOVA LFS Artic on Route 31

51417629176_4dced6a6ef_5k.jpg

I guess all the NFI D40LF/D60LF are out of service.

During the stay, I only saw one on Route 26 but the paint was a little bit different from the CATA's original D40LF. It turns out it was also purchased from COTA.

51418390084_35d838fb35_5k.jpg

 

Other NFI that have been there for the last 10ish years.

NFI DE40LFR/DE60LFR

51416882632_6d6db1ca35_5k.jpg

51416882227_5c2c948005_5k.jpg

 

XDE40. I believe the second one with white LED board started showing up around the summer of 2016

51417887393_8a8380502d_5k.jpg

51418610700_31ddbd7e5a_5k.jpg

 

I also feel like the new paint of CATA's NOVA buses is missing some element. When I saw pic of the first delivered bus, I thought it was only for prototype lol.

 

Feel free to check more at my Flickr Album:  Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA)

:) thank you so much for sharing these photos of the Transportation service that i grew up with.

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On 8/21/2021 at 12:51 AM, ns8401 said:

Also saw a 30’ Gillig numbered 402 in a wrap for shopping trip service.

I saw that one back in July. Wondering if it's used or if there are other small Gilligs in the fleet.

cata_402_front.thumb.jpg.200cd08ad5da8d6896867046479ddf7e.jpg

On 9/1/2021 at 11:19 PM, LDCY said:

Saw that too a couple days ago. Apparently they are not the very new model and I definitely didn't see them before 2017. 

According to cptdb's wiki site, they were purchased from Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA). I took the pics from the 3rd level of the parking deck next to the CATA's transfer center in MSU campus. You can see that the fleet numbers on the roof are still COTA's.

 

IMG_9384.jpg

IMG_9408.jpg

IMG_9393.jpg

 

Strikes me as kind of weird that they bought these used units around the same time as the new Novas.

Thanks for showing that truck too. I've spotted a couple of other CATA service vehicles around and might start a roster.
cata_s36.thumb.jpg.92d12bbc9270c3c394dcdf0d573402ec.jpgcata_s71.thumb.jpg.536f13170c3e99b2083c6fcb71d29349.jpgcata_s73.thumb.JPG.3dbd423f17f1c0118a239a21a30fd23c.JPG

(the Traverse seen from the front is #73, and I think I've seen another with #74)

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On 12/11/2021 at 8:41 PM, dtwtransit said:

I saw that one back in July. Wondering if it's used or if there are other small Gilligs in the fleet.

cata_402_front.thumb.jpg.200cd08ad5da8d6896867046479ddf7e.jpg

I guess this is the only Gillig 29' CATA has.

I saw its predecessor in the parking lot of Meijer near Meridian Mall a few years back. I remember that bus clearly because I had never seen fleet of that size in CATA service before. I guess that was the Eldorado E-Z Rider II MAX 30' retired and auctioned last year. 

CATA probably bought this one and only Gillig 29' to replace the retired Eldorado.

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On 12/21/2021 at 11:51 PM, LDCY said:

I guess this is the only Gillig 29' CATA has.

I saw its predecessor in the parking lot of Meijer near Meridian Mall a few years back. I remember that bus clearly because I had never seen fleet of that size in CATA service before. I guess that was the Eldorado E-Z Rider II MAX 30' retired and auctioned last year. 

CATA probably bought this one and only Gillig 29' to replace the retired Eldorado.

The wiki lists this one as a 2020 interestingly enough… so they actually bought a brand new Gillig. 

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On 9/1/2021 at 11:33 PM, LDCY said:

Visited MSU campus this Monday. I was surprised the campus' transit hub was full of Nova already. Well.. I guess that's exciting to see transit agency of this size buying a lot of 40' and 60' that are neither NFI nor Gillig anyway.

IMG_9365.thumb.jpg.21d842e97f7337e55de01069b5d4ab7c.jpg 51416882322_30108c4195_5k.jpg 51417887708_f339cb5127_5k.jpg

NOVA LFS on Route 30, 31, 32, and 33

51416882572_03f94ed2d6_5k.jpg

51418389884_2dd6f0ff37_5k.jpg

51418610850_963dbd08b3_5k.jpg

51418888603_f022309304_5k.jpg

51418389999_ebd21b0b65_5k.jpg

51417887728_48405842a1_5k.jpg

NOVA LFS Artic on Route 30

51417887678_94d4b5025e_5k.jpg

Another NOVA on route 30 with a green display screen. Not sure why they use the different type of LED screen.

51418610810_dd70967ee8_5k.jpg

NOVA LFS Artic on Route 31

51417629176_4dced6a6ef_5k.jpg

I guess all the NFI D40LF/D60LF are out of service.

During the stay, I only saw one on Route 26 but the paint was a little bit different from the CATA's original D40LF. It turns out it was also purchased from COTA.

51418390084_35d838fb35_5k.jpg

 

Other NFI that have been there for the last 10ish years.

NFI DE40LFR/DE60LFR

51416882632_6d6db1ca35_5k.jpg

51416882227_5c2c948005_5k.jpg

 

XDE40. I believe the second one with white LED board started showing up around the summer of 2016

51417887393_8a8380502d_5k.jpg

51418610700_31ddbd7e5a_5k.jpg

 

I also feel like the new paint of CATA's NOVA buses is missing some element. When I saw pic of the first delivered bus, I thought it was only for prototype lol.

 

Feel free to check more at my Flickr Album:  Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA)

Nice pics,  but I gotta be a little nitpicky for a second.  Those NOVA's are slick, but they also look really basic/ plain. I mean I'm not a big fan of all-white or the primary color being white on buses ... but the generic CATA letters make these look meh ??. I mean the older scheme looks better.  I believe these LFS's would stand out more in a more looking livery,  paint scheme/  artistic style wraps in my personal opinion 

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8 hours ago, RandyG2689 said:

Nice pics,  but I gotta be a little nitpicky for a second.  Those NOVA's are slick, but they also look really basic/ plain. I mean I'm not a big fan of all-white or the primary color being white on buses ... but the generic CATA letters make these look meh ??. I mean the older scheme looks better.  I believe these LFS's would stand out more in a more looking livery,  paint scheme/  artistic style wraps in my personal opinion 

The Nova's look great! Their design has stood the test of time. I'm OK with the all white look. The size and placement of the side letters definitely clash with the look. Smaller letters placed at the top of the bus near the bus number would, and only once for 60 footers, would keep more in line with the all white look.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 12/11/2021 at 8:41 PM, dtwtransit said:

I saw that one back in July. Wondering if it's used or if there are other small Gilligs in the fleet.

cata_402_front.thumb.jpg.200cd08ad5da8d6896867046479ddf7e.jpg

Strikes me as kind of weird that they bought these used units around the same time as the new Novas.

Thanks for showing that truck too. I've spotted a couple of other CATA service vehicles around and might start a roster.
cata_s36.thumb.jpg.92d12bbc9270c3c394dcdf0d573402ec.jpgcata_s71.thumb.jpg.536f13170c3e99b2083c6fcb71d29349.jpgcata_s73.thumb.JPG.3dbd423f17f1c0118a239a21a30fd23c.JPG

(the Traverse seen from the front is #73, and I think I've seen another with #74)

I always like the mini Gillig 30 footers we got 4 here in Dayton.

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With the latest order's arrival Novas seem to be the norm nowadays. They outnumbered the Flyers 2 to 1 today from what I could see - hardly a Restyle in sight. I'd wager the old D40LFs are probably either all gone or well on their way out by now.

cata_735.JPG

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12 hours ago, dtwtransit said:

With the latest order's arrival Novas seem to be the norm nowadays. They outnumbered the Flyers 2 to 1 today from what I could see - hardly a Restyle in sight. I'd wager the old D40LFs are probably either all gone or well on their way out by now.

cata_735.JPG

Their actual D40LF’s have been gone for a couple years except for the COTA ones they got relatively recently. The D40LFR’s are fading I would say. I haven’t seen one in a few days. I’ll look harder when I’m back up there Thursday. Up until a couple weeks ago I saw them regularly.

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  • 5 weeks later...

There are a few special liveries currently out:

#608 - ad wrap for CATA recruitment w/50th anniversary emblem
image.thumb.jpeg.6fe7a5fb245dcae31b3a135142a82ea9.jpeg

#718 - 50th anniversary
IMG_3794.thumb.JPG.f97d0d23d05199131a2d3654ae402490.JPGcata_718-rear.thumb.JPG.8788477ef062521bd3e649299fc1382a.JPG

#722 - 50th anniversary (but different)
image.thumb.jpeg.bb81e1379cb16bb7ae4d6a1061f9a655.jpeg

#724 - something of an ad wrap for the Michigan Humane Society; regular livery + pictures of cats and dogs on driver side windows
#734 - ad wrap for Raising Cane's
Image
(picture shot by a friend from the area - please don't reuse)

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10 hours ago, dtwtransit said:

From a sighting yesterday I can confirm that #632-633 are still in service.

573 Is still in service… it doesn’t appear they have retired anything yet. They didn’t get 632-633 all that long ago relatively so it’s not surprising they are around. 

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  • 2 months later...

Saw #627 yesterday, and a friend from Lansing tells me the D40LFs are still a fairly common sight at CATA on weekdays.

image.thumb.jpeg.adf1ebb7c68bbfacd16a0a9621b1c6f9.jpeg

Some more special liveries are rolling out too. A handful have been wrapped with this postcard-themed design, part of a wider CATA marketing gimmick. There are said to be three, though #701 is the only one I've identified.

image.thumb.jpeg.642cb7fa1b816f9007dee483d4fd4dc0.jpeg

#6012 has an ad wrap for MSU Federal Credit Union. I love this shade of green.

image.thumb.jpeg.c16205cf61fa9121223e84bfbfd9d908.jpeg

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  • 2 weeks later...

Had a chance to spend some quality time in Lansing recently. It's hard to explain what a joy it is to find a mid-size city not dominated by Gilligs. I am aware that a couple stray Gilligs have slipped into CATA's fleet -- but, fortunately, this is decidedly the territory of first-rate buses.

Will be interesting to see how/if Route 1 changes once the large new apartment buildings on Michigan Ave open. It seems like those will generate more ridership than Frandor shopping center -- especially considering that Frandor recently tried to kick CATA out entirely. In any case, here is 589, indifferent to the whole controversy, gracefully turning into Frandor on a drizzly Saturday morning:

IMG_2840.thumb.JPG.14f2561607ca022df5e31145d999a070.JPG

 

Up in Old Town, 733 proceeds along her inbound trip while the neighborhood slowly wakes up. Rear windows are always a bonus, but, on a rainy day, to be on board a bus with a rear window is especially magical.

IMG_2772.thumb.JPG.89601e2b0031379eea0f3d9eabd15edf.JPG

 

Near the Capitol, 737 enters the home stretch of Route 12. An angle like this asks the imagination to consider what an actual paint scheme might look like on these top-notch vehicles. Novas are approaching the four-year mark at CATA -- and still no signs they'll ever enhance their appearance:

CAT737.thumb.jpg.0d497dc6ab1881d4b38c09f3c7087710.jpg

 

Enjoy! CATA seems to be doing well -- they can kick it up several notches by limiting those tacky wrapped buses, introducing a real paint scheme for the Novas, and perhaps improving their customer information/wayfinding. The service levels are outstanding for a mid-size city (15-minute service on a Sunday -- what?!) but if you're not already familiar with the system, it's hard to know how convenient it is.

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  • 2 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Today I finally caught the elusive #634, which turns out to be an XDE40.

IMG_9247.thumb.JPG.81fb5e95f2f270d4ba88530169a82f00.JPG

I'm not sure the model year of this one, though given the white headsigns, I'd wager it was built to CATA specs.

For some reason I thought it was another secondhand Gillig, lumped in with #635-636. Those haven't been seen in over a year afaik, so I think it's safe to assume they've been retired, along with the last of CATA's original D40LFs (which were last spotted in 2020). The ex-COTA D40LFs still run fairly regularly, though.

On 12/5/2022 at 9:10 AM, ns8401 said:

The D40LFR’s are fading I would say. I haven’t seen one in a few days. I’ll look harder when I’m back up there Thursday. Up until a couple weeks ago I saw them regularly.

I definitely think they're starting to phase them out: only one was running today, and from what I've surmised, it's rare to see more than two out at a time nowadays. December '22 was the last time I saw one of the '06 DE40LFRs, and it's been even longer since one of the '07 Restyle artics was spotted.

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