On a drizzly Wednesday morning, Eleanor Ries waited inside the Central Oregon Breeze bus parked at the Riverhouse in Bend.

”I was afraid to drive today,” Ries, 69, said. The Bend resident said she usually drives to Portland herself, but the possibility of ice and snow on the pass prompted her to let someone else take the wheel.

Ries was planning to get off the bus at a stop in Gresham, where her son lives.

During past winters, Ries said she has hopped a Porter Stage Lines bus at the Bend Bus Station and traveled to Eugene to visit her daughter, who lives in a town nearby. ”We are kind of isolated here,” Ries said.

Luckily, Central Oregonians such as Ries who don’t want to worry about winter driving conditions, or are traveling during the upcoming holiday season, have a number of options other than driving or flying.

Although Greyhound Lines pulled all of its Central Oregon routes over the summer, there are still a number of bus services that can get you where you want to go.

”Some of the companies we’ve had interline agreements with have chosen to take over routes that have been abandoned, and a lot of the rural communities still have bus service,” said Kim Plaskett, a spokeswoman with Greyhound Lines, Inc.

Greyhound cut service in 36 communities in Oregon, including cities in Central Oregon, in August to simplify its routes and boost revenues, Plaskett said.

About half-a-dozen bus services still operate out of Central Oregon, taking riders to locations around the state and making connections at airports, train stations and Greyhound stops on the I-5 corridor.

While many of the local bus services have been in operation for years, some agents said the situation with Greyhound has left some customers confused about available services.

”We still get several phone calls a day asking if we are still open,” said Adam Walker, manager of the Bend Bus Station, located inside the Highway 97 Pro Gas station, across from Dandy’s Drive-In. ”There is still transportation.”

The Bend Bus Station has contracts with four bus services, including the People Mover, Porter Stage Lines, Valley Retriever and the Amtrak Thruway.

Ticket sales for the various bus services account for about $3,000 to $4,000 of the gas stations monthly sales, Walker said.

People Mover, which takes travelers from Prairie City and John Day, was affected when Greyhound Lines pulled its routes.

”We lost all of our direct connections,” said Bennita Boethin, general manager of the People Mover.

Riders had used the service to transfer directly to a Greyhound buses headed for Salem, Portland and Eugene.

The bus still makes one trip on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to Bend from Eastern Oregon cities such as John Day and Prairie City.

Bud Fenner, an agent at Porter Stage Lines in Coos Bay, said its ridership has grown since Greyhound has pulled out.

The service runs from Bend to the Eugene Amtrak station, on to Florence and Coos Bay, and from Bend to Burns and Ontario.

”We are expanding and getting more and more people who are (making connections) going out of state,” Fenner said.

Dennis Dick, the owner and operator of Valley Retriever, said his ridership has also increased in Central Oregon and on the Oregon Coast since Greyhound left.

Valley Retriever travels from Bend to the Salem Greyhound station, Albany Amtrak, Corvallis and on to Newport.

While Chemult was on the list of cities where Greyhound cut service, travelers who want to catch an Amtrak train there can take the Amtrak Thruway from the Bend Bus Station. The bus to Chemult leaves two times a day and also makes stops in Sunriver, La Pine and Gilchrist for a reduced fare.

Tom Holland, owner of Capital Coachways, said his company took over Greyhound’s direct service to Portland last November. Holland said the company had to find a new bus depot after the news came that Greyhound would be abandoning its routes in Central Oregon.

On Oct. 1, the company moved its depot to the Burger King in Bend at the north end of Highway 97.

Holland said the change in location and the Greyhound situation has caused a drop in riders because many thought his service had also been terminated.

”Our ridership in Bend has plummeted … out of Bend we are down to about 15 passengers a day,” Holland said.

Capital Coachways offers direct service to the Portland Greyhound station and the Rose Quarter Max station in Portland from its new depot at the north Burger King on Highway 97 in Bend.

The bus also makes stops in Redmond, Madras, Warm Springs and Government Camp.

Starting Nov. 1, Capital Coachways will also be adding service from Bend and Redmond to Eugene, with stops in Sisters and Springfield.

Holland said the majority of his customers are people connecting to other Greyhound buses.

Holland said he expects his ridership to grow over the holidays and is offering a special on tickets purchased at least seven days advance. Riders will save $10 on the cost of tickets to Portland and $8 on the cost of tickets to Eugene.

While many of the bus services cater to those making connections on Greyhound Lines, or Amtrak, The Central Oregon Breeze operators said that most of their riders are people looking for an easy way to get to Portland.

”Some of our riders are going to visit relatives, others are going shopping, and some are in school. It’s a real mix,” said Jim Pessemier, owner of the Central Oregon Breeze.

The Breeze, which has been operating in Central Oregon for nine years, travels daily from the Riverhouse in Bend to Redmond, the Gresham Max station, the Portland Airport and Portland Union Station.

A second bus also leaves from Bend later in the morning and travels via Prineville to the Portland stops.

The Breeze also takes passengers directly to the Portland Airport.

Pessemier, said his ridership goes up during the holidays anywhere from 50 to 100 percent higher than the typical 800 passengers a month.

He said he will soon begin to add additional buses as reservations pile up during the holiday season.

Many services offer lower fares for shorter destinations.

While fares for the bus services vary depending on destination and age, prices have been increasing because of skyrocketing fuel costs.

Pessemier, said at the beginning of the summer he had to add a $2 fuel surcharge to his fares. Both Porter Stage Lines and Valley Retriever said they raised prices last week to account for the rise in the cost of fuel.

But for some travelers, the few extra dollars are worth it.

”It’s nice to let someone else do the driving,” said Jackie Coxey, who was riding the Central Oregon Breeze from Bend to the Portland Airport.

Kristy Hessman can be reached at 541-383-0350 or khessman@bendbulletin.com.