CATA Director of Operations Dave Smith said the company made minor changes at several bus stops on MSU’s campus to improve safety as well as vehicle’s abilities to maneuver.

Smith said changes to bus stops have included:

-The Synder and Phillips halls bus stop was moved a few hundred feet to avoid hitting bikes parked on the sidewalk.

-A Chestnut Road bus stop was expanded to accommodate 60-foot-long buses.

-The Berkey Hall bus stop was moved in front of Olin Health Center to allow for enough room for people with disabilities to board the bus.

-The new Olin Health Center bus stop was given two renovated shelters, which will be replaced with brand new shelters in January.

CATA bus driver Angela Olger said she already has noticed benefits from the improved safety, and the movement of crosswalks to prevent students from walking in front of buses.

On the other hand, CATA bus driver Lamarr Braggs said some changes have not been entirely easy to get used to.

He said the changes to the Olin Center bus stop make it harder to see if a person is waiting to get on the bus and that the university’s decision to change bus route names has confused some bus riders.

“I just tell the students to remember the number instead of what it was called,” Braggs said. “(But the changes are) more convenient (and) a little less dangerous.”

Smith said CATA annually updates and improves the bus system on campus as needed.

“It’s (part of) an ongoing continual improvement on campus for circumstances that can change and will change,” Smith said. “This is a contract agreement through MSU … a very cooperative agreement.”

Although a university official could not be reached to comment on the changes, MSU Student Health Services (Olin Health Center) posted a photo of the new shelters in front of Olin Health Center on Facebook, thanking CATA for creating the new stop.