Cascades East Transit offers public transportation fare discounts for nonprofits, groups, Medicare cardholders and persons with disabilities. Read below for more information about public transit discounts from CET.

Cascades East Transit offers non-profit agencies the opportunity to purchase fares at a 50 percent discount for single zone, fixed route fare products only. This discount is granted in recognition of a community need for transportation services for individuals and families who are working with these agencies to seek employment, housing and medical services. This policy applies to any private non-profit (501-3-c and 501-19-c) agencies that provide assistance to low-income individuals. Agencies wishing to participate may complete the necessary application. Upon successful certification, agency staff may call Cascades East Transit to place a fare order.

Non-Profit Order Form
Non-Profit Affidavit Form

Cascades East Transit offers private retail sales outlets and public agencies a wholesale discount on the purchase of fare media. This discount recognizes that these organizations play an important role in the distribution of fare media to CET customers. This policy applies to all private retail outlets that CET chooses to contract with for the sales of fare media. All public agency purchases will be issued according to the same discount structure. CET offers a 5 percent discount on the purchase of fare media for private retail sales outlets who purchase fare media for their customers. Monthly passes will be consigned. All fare media must be offered by the retail outlet. The retail outlet will not monitor for age, disability or other discount programs requirements.

Public Agency Order Form

A Group Pass Program is one in which the cost of transit fares is shared by a group. Bend Dial-a-Ride is not inclusive of this program. All persons within the group receive the transit benefit, whether or not they actually use the service. The employer or educational institution enters into an annual contract for services with COIC. In this way, the cost per person for the service is significantly reduced, and ridership within the group can be expected to increase significantly.

COIC will consider any organization, public or private, for a group pass program if it:

Includes at least 10 individuals
Is financially capable and legally empowered to enter into a contract with COIC and meet the financial obligations dictated by that contract. The group pass program will apply to all members of the organization
COIC will consider qualifying organizations on a first come/first served basis, only if the COIC has the service and equipment capacity to serve that organization
An organization may enter into a contract for a group pass program with COIC for a subgroup of the organization

Cooperative Organizations: Many organizations have fewer than 10 employees and wish to participate. In order to meet this growing need, COIC will allow associations to pool member organizations into a single employee pool and enter into a group pass contract within the guidelines above. The association may be for government, profit or nonprofit, but will be held responsible for the agreement and collecting required information and payment from the participants.

A base rate per employee, per month will be levied on individuals within the organization. The organization may choose to participate in a program for only one specific zone or multi-zone. Based on the price per zone listed below, all employees regardless of number of hours worked, who have regularly assigned day shifts (between 7am-6pm, M-F) will be counted based on if they need a zone 1, zone 2, zone 3, or multi-zone to travel between work and home.

Organizations with unusual employment structures for hours worked and/or seasonality, such as schools, may negotiate a more tailored pricing approach with COIC. Once each year, the organization who has entered into a group pass contract with COIC will supply a list of all employees with the following information: last name/first initial, work location, home address, and standard shift. COIC will “certify” the correct employee count per zone and issue a certification to be used for billing the rest of the year.

• Zone 1 - $2.50 per month per employee
• Zone 2 - $8 per month per employee
• Multi-Zone - $20 per month per employee

Contracts will normally be for a one-year period, with annual renewals.

Group pass participants are to have photo identification that is easily verified by the bus driver. The photo identification may be either the organization's, in which case it must have a CET zone designated validation sticker, or issued by CET. In either case, the cost of issuing the photo identification will be borne by the organization. Participating organizations will be responsible for administering the program within their organizations.

COIC will provide trip planning assistance for the individuals of a group pass organization. Marketing of the service to individuals of a group pass organization will be conducted where it is determined to have a significant impact on ridership.

The objective is to provide reduced fares for fixed route services for seniors and people with disabilities in cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration’s half-fare requirements. Community Connectors and rural demand response service is also offered at reduced fares as per the fare schedule.

Individuals who do not have one of the proofs of eligibility listed must complete a Half-Fare Application to obtain the special pass.

Individuals with one of the listed proofs are to be issued a Half-Price Pass upon submitting a copy of the documentation. Because documentation must be shown each time on boarding, all individuals are to be encouraged to obtain the special Half-Price Pass.

The objective is to provide reduced fares, when possible, for individuals who qualify to use Bend Dial-a-Ride.

The definition of low-income is set in the Paratransit Eligibility Policy. The rate is included in the CET Fare Schedule.

A major service change is defined as a reduction in service that meets one of the following thresholds:

Elimination of a route
Reductions of 25% of service hours on a route
Loss of over 5 stops on a single route
Reduction of demand response revenue service hours that exceed 10% of total weekly hours