Shuttle service for river users to begin

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Bend Area Transit’s “Ride the River” shuttle service for people who float the Deschutes River will begin this week, according to a news release from the city of Bend.

The service, which began in 2006, costs $3 for a full day or $1 for a single ride. Buses will run each week — starting Friday and ending Sept. 1 — on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays from 11 a.m. until 6:20 p.m., the release said. Riders can place their rafts in a trailer towed behind the bus, which will pick up riders after they’ve floated downstream. Most enter the water at Farewell Bend Park, exit before the Colorado Street Dam, re-enter the river at McKay Park, and get out at Drake Park, the release said.

City officials are reminding river users that they should be cautious because the Deschutes River has dangerous rapids and fast currents. For more information on floating the river or the shuttle service, visit www.ci.bend.or.us.