Cascades East Transit suspends Saturday Community Connector service amid driver shortages
Also cites low ridership on the seven routes
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – Cascades East Transit announced Thursday it will suspend Saturday regional Community Connector service starting Feb. 5 until further notice due to driver shortages and low ridership along the routes.
The last day for transit riders to utilize Saturday Community Connector services is Jan. 29. Regional Community Connectors will continue to operate on regular schedules Monday-Friday to ensure passengers can travel between Central Oregon cities.
Bend fixed routes and Bend Dial-A-Ride services will continue to operate on Saturdays. All of CET’s services are currently free, with the exception of Mt. Bachelor shuttles.
The following Community Connector routes will not operate on Saturdays starting Feb. 5:
- Route 20 (Warm Springs to Madras)
- Route 22 (Redmond to Madras)
- Route 24 (Bend to Redmond)
- Route 26 (Redmond to Prineville)
- Route 28 (Redmond to Sisters)
- Route 29 (Bend to Sisters)
- Route 30 (La Pine to Bend)
Driver shortages remain an ongoing issue for CET and many other transit agencies across the country. CET and MTM-Transit (CET’s Bend fixed-route contractor) are actively recruiting bus drivers to operate routes across Central Oregon.
Saturday Service on Community Connectors will be restored once CET recruits and hires enough drivers, the agency said.
Visit www.CascadesEastTransit.com for information about available bus driver positions, wages, and benefits.
Customers may also call CET’s call center at 541-385-8680 for service information and updates. Passengers are required to wear face coverings when riding buses, and "CET apologizes for any inconveniences caused by this service reduction," the announcement said.
