Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Transit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cascades East Transit outlines hubs, service‑hour growth and new buses for Central Oregon
Summary
Cascades East Transit Director Bob Townsend briefed council on 2025 priorities: acquiring a Bend North Corridor property for a central hub, bus stop and parking improvements, grant awards and plans to expand service hours and fare/card systems across Bend and Redmond.
Redmond — Cascades East Transit (CET) director Bob Townsend updated the Redmond City Council on planned service changes, property acquisition for a Bend hub, vehicle purchases and outreach plans for 2025.
Townsend said CET is in the process of acquiring a triangular 3.5‑acre property in the Bend North Corridor near Lowe’s — "It's about 3 and a half acres, and CT is in the process of acquiring that to make it a central hub," he said — and that the agency is moving ahead with architecture and engineering work for the site.
The agency won several recent grants Townsend described as central to fleet and stop improvements: roughly $2.5 million in discretionary statewide transportation improvement funds (STIF) and about $1.6 million from the Federal Lands Access Program for six buses to serve mountain routes. Townsend also said CET will pursue other federal funds, including programs that appear to be the Federal Transit Administration’s formula and discretionary grant lines.
Service changes Townsend outlined include expanding fixed‑route service hours in Bend and later adjusting Redmond flex routes and inner‑city connectors. "Currently, Bend fixed route and Redmond Lehi routes are the same. They start at 07:30 and about 05:30, and we're looking to make those 6AM to at least 07:30PM," he said, citing the goal of helping riders get to and from work earlier and later than current schedules allow.
Townsend said CET will move toward transit passes and reloadable cards, return fares on some routes removed during the pandemic, and roll out route‑by‑route outreach that targets businesses and service centers near stops. He also described a bus stop improvement program with roughly $500,000 earmarked for benches and related amenities across the region.
Townsend addressed Redmond‑specific items including Redmond airport shuttle ideas, expansion of Redmond flex routes beyond the a/b routes added last June, and outreach to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs for potential federal grant opportunities.
Councilors asked about service to the Redmond Proficiency Academy and to Madras; Townsend said CET will coordinate with school districts and explore timing and frequency changes. He confirmed CET is reorganizing staff to prepare for growth and will update branding and fleet liveries as new buses arrive.
Townsend closed by inviting councilors to follow up with specific routes for detailed data, saying CET collects trip‑level usage by day, hour and month to guide service decisions.
Provenance: Presentation by CET director Bob Townsend to council; no formal council action reported on CET items.
