Keizerites wanting to travel to Woodburn now have additional opportunities to use public transit.
Cherriots has increased the number of bus round trips for its bus between Keizer and Woodburn on weekdays from four to seven, and added weekend service. The transit agency also added a stop at Woodburn Premium Outlets.
Cherriots one-way fare costs $1.60, and a day pass is available for $3.25. Reduced fares are available for those who are over 60, are disabled or have a Medicare card.
While the Cherriots route previously went as far north as Wilsonville, Shofi Ull Azum, chief planning and development officer, said the route will now stop in Woodburn. Instead, riders can connect with Wilsonville’s transit service – South Metro Area Transit – from the Woodburn Memorial Transit Center.
Through the Woodburn transit center, riders can take Woodburn Transit to the Amazon warehouse. Both Woodburn Transit and SMART are free to ride.
Azum and Megan Schmitt, Cherriots marketing and communications manager, said the new service was driven by travel demand, community feedback and regional coordination between the transit agencies.
Azum said the agency has heard a demand for years for more frequent trips to Woodburn.
Schmitt said a targeted survey aboard the Woodburn bus found that 64% of riders were traveling to work. In an online survey, 43% of respondents said they wanted to use the Woodburn route for shopping.
“We found that they wanted better access to jobs and shopping, along with more frequent trips, weekend service and improved connections, which is why we did add in that new connection point at the Woodburn Premium Outlets,” Schmitt said.
Azum said that the Woodburn shopping mall is a top travel destination in the state.
Azum and Schmitt said the changes to the Woodburn service are cost-neutral, so the route still operates within its existing nearly $200,000 budget.
The additional weekday round trips for route 80X to Woodburn leave the Keizer Transit Station at 8:30 a.m., 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. The ride takes roughly a half hour to arrive at the Woodburn transit center, and stop at the outlet mall on the way.
Buses leave for the return trip to Keizer within five minutes of arriving at the Woodburn transit center.
A new route leaves the Woodburn transit center for Keizer at 5:25 a.m. during weekdays.
Seven round trips occur between Keizer and Woodburn on Saturdays and Sundays, with the earliest leaving Keizer at 8:30 a.m. and the latest leaving Keizer at 8 p.m. on Saturdays. On Sundays, the last bus from Keizer leaves at 7 p.m.
Azum said Cherriots has not yet gathered feedback from riders on the new changes, but will seek to do so after six months.
More details on the route changes and schedule can be found on the Cherriots website.
NEWS TIP? Contact reporter Krista Kroiss at [email protected].
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