There’s good news for bus commuters in Central Oregon: Cascades East Transit, this region’s bus service provider, is planning to expand its operating hours next week to accommodate increased ridership.

The bus service will operate from 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. starting Monday, expanding from the current operating hours of 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Ridership on fixed routes in Bend hasn’t fully come back to pre-pandemic levels but the numbers have edged up year-over-year. Last year, 239,278 people travelled on a Bend fixed route, up from 197,892 a year earlier. In 2019, a total of 352,752 people rode a Bend fixed route. 

Total ridership on Cascades East Transit buses has increased, from 595,260 riders in 2019 to 659,592 riders last year. 

The total number of riders has jumped thanks mainly to the Bend-to-Mt. Bachelor bus. In 2019 that bus had just 13,497 riders, the following year the total jumped to 39,808. Last year, 56,649 people rode the bus to Mt. Bachelor. 

Bob Townsend, Cascades East Transit director, says there are likely multiple reasons for the decrease in ridership on Bend fixed routes. Increased work-from-home opportunities since the pandemic has changed commuting habits, he said. But reduced operating hours are also a factor. 

“Transit providers should be work commuter driven, and with the reduction of hours following the pandemic we put ourselves in a box where we couldn’t grow,” said Townsend. “We are hoping that these new hours will provide the opportunity for growth.”

Townsend says the transit system still faces an “awareness and opportunity” challenge because routes and bus availability are limited. 

“We need to capture people and the areas where we do provide these services, and then find potential improvements that can help us gain new riders,” he said. 

He believes there are still potential riders out there who want to take the bus for environmental reasons but the service simply doesn’t meet their daily commute needs. Going forward, CET is hoping to expand service times on the most heavily used routes and reduce service in lesser used areas. 

The bus is most popular on Third Street and routes serving the east side of town. The bus is still free to ride for fixed routes and on-demand services (as it has been since 2020) but fares are planned to be reintroduced later this year. 

To promote the expanded hours of operation, Cascades East Transit, is hosting a “Try Transit Week” that features prizes, giveaways and events for riders. More information on Try Transit Week can be found online at: cascadeseasttransit.com/trytransit/