Oregon POINT

The Oregon POINT (Public Oregon Intercity Transit) is a five-route, intercity bus service of the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). The service is administered by ODOT's Rail & Public Transit Division as part of its intercity grant program. The POINT service exists to connect towns and rural communities with major transportation hubs and urban centers. ODOT accomplishes this by filling gaps in Oregon's long distance transit network where no public services exist and which would otherwise be unprofitable for private companies. The service functions like a thruway bus service for Amtrak in that it makes direct connections to passenger rail service and sells tickets using Amtrak's system. However, Amtrak does not own or contract POINT buses and the service is open to the general public, not just Amtrak train passengers. The POINT program is similar to the Travel Washington bus lines in neighboring Washington.

History

ODOT has invested in intercity bus services since 1994. Over time, to better meet the travel needs of Oregonians and draw more ridership, ODOT created the POINT program through "a mixture of new service, expanded service and service re-branding that relies on public-private partnerships with private bus operators." Today, the POINT service consists of five routes. The first POINT route was the SouthWest POINT (established April 2009) which connects Klamath Falls and the Rogue Valley to towns on the Oregon and Northern California coast. The HighDesert POINT was the second route (established February 2010) and connects Central Oregon to the Chemult Amtrak Station. The NorthWest POINT was the third route (established March 2010) and connects Portland to several rural communities along U.S. Route 26 and towns along the Oregon Coast. The Eastern POINT was the fourth route (established February 2011) and connects Bend to Ontario and the rural communities along U.S. Route 20. The Cascades POINT was the fifth route (established July 2012) and runs between Portland and Eugene, with stops at every Amtrak station in the Willamette Valley. The Cascades is the POINT's flagship route and is also part of the Amtrak Cascades service.

Cities served by POINT routes

File:Oregon POINT bus system map (20336568790).jpg

Oregon POINT bus system map

• Cascades POINT: Portland, Oregon City, Woodburn, Salem, Albany, Eugene (Amtrak Station), University of Oregon (Eugene)
• Eastern POINT: Bend, Brothers, Hampton, Riley, Burns, Buchanan, Drewsey, Juntura, Harper, Vale, Ontario
• HighDesert POINT: Redmond, Bend, Sunriver, La Pine, Chemult
• NorthWest POINT: Portland, Manning, Elsie, Necanicum Junction, Cannon Beach, Seaside, Gearhart, Warrenton, Astoria
• SouthWest POINT: Klamath Falls, White City, Medford, Ashland, Gold Hill, Grants Pass, Selma, Cave Junction, O'Brien, Gasquet (California), Hiouchi (California), Crescent City (California), Smith River (California), Brookings

External links

• Official POINT website
• Official Facebook page
• Official Flickr page