Cascades East Transit to resume Saturday service May 1, remain fareless

Bend Dial-A-Ride also to be available on weekends

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Starting May 1, Cascades East Transit will return to providing Saturday services for Bend Fixed Routes and major Community Connector Routes across Central Oregon, the agency announced Friday.

Also, Bend Dial-A-Ride will operate on both Saturdays and Sundays, starting on May 1. Each of those public transportation services is currently fareless.

CET and Commute Options will host outdoor social-distance tabling events on Saturday, May 1 from 12 to 2 pm at Hawthorne Station in Bend (334 NE Hawthorne Ave.) and at the Redmond Transit Hub (777 SW Kalama Ave.) from 2 to 4 pm to provide free schedules, route maps, public health and safety information, face masks, hand sanitizer, and LED safety lights to riders.

Tammy Baney, Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council’s executive director, noted: “After a long year, we are excited to bring back Saturday public transportation services in Bend and throughout our region to help Central Oregonians access important destinations.”

Jordan Ohlde, a long-time CET transit rider, advocate for people with disabilities, and member of CET’s Regional Public Transportation Advisory Committee, said, “We haven’t had Saturday services for the past year, so it is a very good thing those services are coming back. I ride the bus often, to get to and from my work and shopping trips. With a return to Saturday services, I won’t need to use my wheelchair to make those trips, or rely on my mom and dad to pick me up.”

Saturday Community Connector public transportation services were first implemented in February 2020 as a Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund project to enhance mobility options and increase connectivity between the communities of Bend, Redmond, La Pine, Sisters, Prineville, Madras, Culver, Metolius, and Warm Springs.

CET’s Saturday services for Community Connectors and Bend Fixed Routes, as well as Bend Dial-A-Ride weekend services, were suspended in April of 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but are now resuming as of May 1.

"The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs are excited for CET to bring back Saturday service to the region,” said Lorien Stacona, chair of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs STIF Advisory Committee. “Public transportation is important for tribal members to access jobs, educational opportunities, health care visits, grocery stores, and a myriad of community services."

Saturday service schedules and May 1 social-distance tabling event details are posted on CET’s website at www.CascadesEastTransit.com under News and Updates.

CET implements Oregon Health Authority Guidelines to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, which includes requiring face coverings for drivers and passengers, frequently wiping down high-touch surfaces, adhering to social-distance requirements, and enforcing maximum occupancy limits on buses. All of CET’s services, except for the Mt. Bachelor shuttle, are currently free to the public.

Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC) was designated a Council of Governments in 1972 under ORS 190. Cascades East Transit, operated by COIC, provides fixed-route and Dial-A-Ride services in Bend, Community Connector regional services, general public Dial-A-Ride services in Redmond, La Pine, Prineville, Sisters, and Madras, flex-route service in Warm Springs and recreational routes like Ride the River, Lava Butte, and the Mt. Bachelor Shuttle.