Bend Area Transit!
Holy crap! It’s finally happening! According to KTVZ, Bend’s new transit system is starting at the end of the month!
The City of Bend is launching its new transit system at the end of September. After years of planning, the city is making the vision of a public transit service into a reality.
The city’s new Bend Area Transit (BAT) service will begin passenger routes Wednesday, September 27. Riders will ride free during BAT’s inaugural week – September 27 through October 3….
Fares to ride BAT are: $1.00 per trip with multi-ride passes available for purchase. An unlimited day pass is $2.00. Senior/Disabled rates are $.50 per trip with an unlimited day pass for $1.00….
Route maps and schedules are available at City Hall, located at 710 NW Wall Street or the Public Works Building at 575 NE 15th Street.
They have a website here. So far there’s only a couple of PDFs on there.
This is huge. I think I’m heading down to pick up a route map and schedule tomorrow, to check things out. (The first PDF on their site has a small version.) Does anyone have any more information on these? Are they regular buses, or small ones like the Dial-a-Ride bus? Will they have bicycle racks?
Yeah, I’m excited; I can’t believe it’s finally happening!
Update: Bend Area Transit, a few days in
You could almost hop on from your house and it takes you right behind your office at the Hawthorne transit center.
Slider will be taking it — I’m lucky I’m three blocks from work.
Looks like a good start… unfortunately our house isn’t anywhere near a route. Hopefully that will be one of the future routes 7-10 that are not on the list!
Certainly nice of them to give Northwest Crossing their own busline. Adds to the "everything you need and you don’t have to drive" feeling.
Or will they pretend that the bus is for the students at Summit High?
Might as well ignore those people in Southeast Bend — they can walk to the WEST-side or northeast if they want to ride the durn thing.
Harrumph.
Why is there a bus going to summit high schoo? Isn’t there a school bus?? Why is there only limited hours for the west side on route 11? what about if someone on the west side wants to go to church on Sunday? What about a bus to Rays, Safeway and the Park and Ride on the west side? why does the east side take preference over the west side – very bad planning!!
I know one thing for sure, I will never ride it, even though there is a stop 1 block from my house. What a tremendous waste of money
Why is there restricted times on route 11? When I have doctors appointments after those times, how do I get to it? Why are you limiting the west side? I agree with anonymous, its not fair and very inconvient for us! The Bend City Council must live on the East side
what the HELL? no buses running at night (even if only on weekends)? LAME!
It’s a good start, and hopefully they’ll address issues and make new routes soon. To the person who said this is a tremendous waste of money, try being one of the many people in Bend with no car/license.
Why isn’t the system map posted on the website? It must be available, since it was recently published twice in the Bulletin. Also, why are there no park and ride opportunities for folks who live outside of the route area?
Just looked at the map routs on the web site. I athought my eysite was BAD. After printing them out, whoever scanned them into the computer needs to learn about resolutions. They look just a blurry printed (very unreadable) as they do on the site. This makes them just as wothless as route 11.