This map shows bus routes of Cascades East Transit in Bend. (Cascades East Transit)

The plans to require people throughout the bus system to have a pass to ride the bus and pay $2 per trip are moving forward.

Cascade East Transit briefed Bend City Councilors about the plans on June 4.

This is essentially much the same plan as we wrote about in March. It’s just that now it’s coming soon.

In September, a transit pass may be required. In October, the fees will kick in, as long as it gets approval from the CET board.

It’s not unreasonable to charge a fee. Most bus system do. Questions persist: Is it a good idea to require a pass? To charge people when it is free now? Are more obstacles to people riding the bus going to cause more pain than gain? Will it lead to more people riding the bus? Will it reduce wait times for the bus and travel times for buses?

Most of those questions are unanswerable until the policy change is implemented or answerable only depending on a person’s perspective.

What the new system will do is help with tracking ridership. Most certainly, it will better ensure that riders that have been banned from using the bus system cannot use it.

The money raised, though not intended to cover the cost of the service, will help with some costs. It might enable Cascades East Transit to provide more service.

In major metropolitan areas, transit users know they don’t have to go far to catch the bus, subway or whatever. They know wait times are not long. The problem in Bend is that bus service is just not convenient enough to compete with other options for many people. Adding passes and this proposed fee doesn’t solve that. We hope it helps.