Cascades East Transit will launch Route 8, a new pilot bus route serving northeast Bend, beginning Monday. The launch serves as an effort to expand services to connect commuters and employers without the heavy reliance on cars.

The new, free pilot program will operate from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday starting and ending at CET’s main transit hub, Hawthorne Station. The bus will make 19 trips a day with 12 stops, departing from the station every 30 to 45 minutes. Route 8 will also offer an express service from Hawthorne Station to Cascade Village Shopping Center in north Bend, where stores including Trader Joe’s, Best Buy and Dick’s Sporting Goods are located.

Route 8’s pilot route status means CET has the flexibility to adjust stops as needed based on potential roadwork or detours.

“The pilot route allows us to potentially extend out and expand the service to where new housing is, so there are more opportunities for ridership,” Derek Hofbauer, outreach and engagement administrator at CET, said. “We want to be flexible with the service and let it grow over time as the community grows.”

Hofbauer said CET has had a “pretty big gap” in its service map before the introduction of Route 8, as northeast Bend near Empire Avenue was largely left without an easily accessible transit line. Now, there are plans for a mobility hub to be implemented along the route within the next couple of years. Mobility hubs serve as a place for buses to go in and out with amenities for riders, such as bike racks and rideshare drop-off zones.

“The mobility hub will provide a lot of opportunities in north Bend for express services coming out of Redmond,” Hofbauer said. “Mobility hubs are places people can connect into… and then hop on a bike share or take an Uber or Lyft to their next destination. It’s using different multimodal transportation.”

Along with adding Route 8, on June 2, CET expanded its operating hours to end at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, instead of 5:30 p.m., to give more opportunity for commuters to utilize the bus after the work day. According to Hofbauer, Route 8 will also specifically benefit lower-income communities in Bend as the route connects new affordable housing developments in northeast Bend with schools, parks, shopping and recreational areas.

The next steps in increasing ridership are increasing the frequency of buses and adding more mobility hubs throughout the city, Hofbauer said. The challenge is getting more drivers and buses on the road.

“Since COVID, we have been doing better on bus driver hiring… especially with the new routes and expanded services,” Hofbauer said. “But getting the vehicles in has taken a lot longer, and they are more expensive than they were four or five years ago.”

For now, Hofbauer encourages residents to switch up their typical commute and try out the new line.

“Try it when you go to the grocery store,” he said. “It’s a great way to get your physical activity and to reduce your dependence on the automobile.”