Sisters to get new bus connection with Bend

Beginning February 6, Cascades East Transit (CET) will institute a new Community Connector bus route #29 between Sisters and Bend, and will make some modifications to the schedule for the Redmond-Sisters route #28. CET signs will identify each stop.

The single morning run to Bend will leave Hawthorne Station in Bend at 6:40 a.m., arriving at its first Sisters stop on the north side of Main Avenue at the crosswalk between Locust and Cedar streets at 7:08 a.m. The next stop is on the west end of Main Avenue between Oak and Ash streets at 7:10 a.m., using the ADA parking access aisle to ensure that transit riders needing the lift to get on the bus have access.

From Main, the bus will continue west to the parking lot at Ray's Food Place on Arrowleaf Trail, arriving there at 7:13 a.m. That stop is located in the Ray's parking lot across Arrowleaf from the Wells Fargo ATM. The bus will travel to Bend, arriving at Hawthorne Station at 7:47 a.m.

In the afternoon, two runs are identical to the morning run; one leaving Bend at 3:45 p.m., arriving at the first Sisters stop at 4:13 p.m. and leaving Ray's at 4:18 p.m. to arrive in Bend at 4:52 p.m.

The second afternoon run leaves Bend at 5:10 p.m., arriving in Sisters at 5:38 p.m., leaving Ray's at 5:43 p.m., and arriving at Bend's Hawthorne Station at 6:17 p.m.

When the Highway 20 roundabout project is complete in the spring, the Ray's stop will move west on Arrowleaf Trail close to the St. Charles medical clinic.

To acquaint Sisters residents and/or Sisters workers from Bend with the new route, there will be no fares on the Bend-Sisters route for the first week from Monday, February 6 through Friday, February 10. The bus will run every week from Monday through Friday, with no weekend service.

Community Connector route #28, which currently runs between Redmond and Sisters, will have a slight schedule retiming intended to minimize the amount of time waiting at the Redmond hub for a transfer. The new schedule is commuter-friendly and should better accommodate workers with typical office hours. The new Redmond-Sisters schedule will begin Monday, February 6.

The first morning run between Redmond and Sisters leaves the Redmond library at 6:12 a.m., arriving at East Main at 6:38 a.m., West Main at 6:40 a.m. and Ray's at 6:43 a.m., arriving back in Redmond at 7:13 a.m. There is no stop at George Cyrus Road on the first run.

The other morning run that does stop at George Cyrus Road to drop off Heart of Oregon Corps students, leaves Redmond at 7:23 a.m., arrives at George Cyrus at 7:43 a.m., East Main at 7:50 a.m., West Main at 7:52 a.m., and Ray's at 7:55 a.m. Returning to Redmond, the bus stops at George Cyrus at 8:06 a.m. and gets to the Redmond library at 8:26 a.m.

In the afternoon, the bus departs Redmond at 2:40 p.m., arriving at George Cyrus at 3 p.m., the first Sisters stop at 3:07 p.m. and Ray's at 3:12 p.m. Returning to Redmond, the stop at George Cyrus is at 3:23 p.m., arriving at the Redmond library at 3:43 p.m.

The routes serving Sisters from both Bend and Redmond serve multiple zones, and so the fares will be $6.50 (regular) and $5 (senior/disabled) for a multi-zone day pass and $3.75/$3 for a single ride.

Those who qualify for half-fare or reduced fares are persons aged 60 and older, Medicare cardholders, persons who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, as well as veterans with disabilities, with at least 50 percent permanent disability. There are also discounts for nonprofits and groups.

Tickets can be obtained from the Hawthorne Station at 334 Hawthorne Ave. in Bend (cash/credit cards only), the Redmond Operations Center at 343 E. Antler Ave., from CET drivers (cash only, exact change), or online via the CET website. Tickets purchased online will be sent via U.S. mail.

The Redmond hub will eventually move from the public library to the new hub to be constructed by Fred Meyer and Lowe's.

Additional information about CET services is available on their website, www.cascadeseasttransit.com or by calling 541-385-8680.